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2020-06-18

Florida to California

In June 2020, I had to drive from Florida to Northern California for a new job. I didn't fly for fear of Covid and I had a car to move. The journey took me 5 days. The first day was from Tampa Florida to Mobile Alabama, the second day was from Mobile Alabama to Dallas Texas. The third day was from Dallas Texas to Albuquerque New Mexico. The forth day from Albuquerque to Cedar City Utah where my sister lives. Finally from Cedar City Utah to Truckee California. Before the trip I had isolated myself for fear of getting sick while travelling which I feared greatly. My general approach was to eat breakfast at the hotel, get lunch in a drive through, and have uber eats deliver food to my hotel for dinner. Along the journey it was interesting to see how strict the rules were depended greatly on where you were. In Texas I stopped at a donut shop for coffee and found a large group of elderly men sitting around drinking coffee and eating donuts without a single mask to be found. This group was clearly not concerned about Covid. However, when i drove through Navajo country in Arizona, the rules were very strict and only drive through food options was available and I had difficulty finding an open bathroom in the entire area as no gas station or restaurant was allowing people inside. I also remember listening to E Street Radio on satellite radio and Bruce Springsteen was reading the obituaries of people who had died. I remember that being a striking moment throughout all of this.

April 19, 2020

In Memory of Richard Sturges

My dad passed away a week ago today after contracting COVID-19 in a SI nursing home and transferring to SIUH. When we first learned of my dad’s diagnosis in the nursing home, his doctor prescribed him hydroxychloroquin which he had been using with good results on other patients. However upon trying to fill the prescription learned that the NY Health Dept under order by the Governor, had restricted the use of this drug to hospital patients only. You can imagine our dismay to learn this and our family immediately jumped into action contacting every state legislator about this horrific restriction on the elderly and nursing homes. The two who stepped forward to answer our calls and hear our concerns were Borough President Oddo and State Senator Lanza and they made many calls on our behalf. Before long the restriction on nursing homes was lifted, hopefully before too many lives were lost, but the ban remains on any other New Yorker who tests positive and is not hospitalized. My brother and sister, along with their spouses, have now tested positive. Two of them are first responders and had a lot of difficulty getting tested. I have been staying with and caring for my mom through this time and fortunately we have managed to avoid contracting this virus, so far. My dad was buried 2 days after he died. The Navy showed up to play taps and present my mother with a flag “on behalf of the President and a grateful nation”, my dad would have liked that. The picture is attached and I think says a thousand words. Only my siblings and mother were allowed to attend the burial, a funeral is not allowed at this time. We all wore masks and stood apart from each other and afterwards drove home to our separate houses…truly heartbreaking. The fact that my dad was isolated for weeks before his passing is the hardest thing for my mom to bear. They are lifelong Staten Islanders and this is their story…. Thank you.

2021-09-06

Erika Claspille Oral History, 2021/09/06

This is my recollection of discovering my uncle's death due to COVID-19 during genealogical research.

2021-01-18

In just five weeks, another 100,000 people have died from Covid-19

From article: "Each day, thousands of Americans have lost a mother, a husband, a last surviving sibling. These are some of the lives who were lost."

2020-04-15

My Grandmother and I’s Final Touch

About a week before my grandmother passed, I went down to visit her for the day and help my grandfather with work around the house. When I arrived at their house, my aunt handed me a pair of nail clippers and asked if I could cut my grandmother’s nails for her. I kneeled at her bedside and began my work. I do not recall how it smelled in my grandmother’s room, as I was wearing my mask the entire time. I imagine it smelled like a hospital room though. I felt the cold metal of the nail clippers and the soft skin from my grandma’s hand, as the hum of her ventilator filled the room. I could hear her voice as well, she was hallucinating due to cerebral hypoxia, whispering to me about the train tracks in her closet. In those moments I could taste nothing but my own saliva. She died several days later on April 21, 2020, with my aunt, uncle, and grandfather in her company. I harbor great hatred for this virus, as it limited my time with my dying grandmother, and I harbor great disgust for everyone around me who refuses to take it seriously. You, however, don’t need to know about this. History does not care, it just happens.

06/01/2020

COVID-19 Has No Boundaries for Those That Mourn

February 2020, Covid-19 was a drop in the bucket, it’s coming to the U.S. from China. What is it? Where did it come from? How will it reach us? Do we close our boarders? Stop international travel? Who is to blame? The first of the infected to arrive, from China, landed at Kelly Field San Antonio TX, and were set into quarantine. Fast forward about a month (end of March), and I am picking my dad up from BAMC (Brook Army Medical Center), he had been dropped off by his wife, and she was not allowed to stay at the hospital. He was seen at the ER because of stomach pain and continuous vomiting. What was different and a little strange to me was the fact that the hospital would not allow his wife to enter the building, even if she was the only means of his being. Because of strict city, state, and national orders to covid-19, no one other that the patient was allowed to enter the hospital. After two months of going in and out of the hospital, military doctors had discovered a cancerous tumor growing in his liver, it was putting pressure against his bile duct not allowing his liver to function properly. An emergency procedure was scheduled, but without notice, it was cancelled before he was operated on. A second procedure (Y90) was scheduled, but part 1 of a two-part procedure failed and three days later we said goodbye to Art Reyes Sr. Planning for his services were difficult. We could only invite 10 people to the church and 20 people to the funeral home, but after gathering information about my dad’s services, my heart went out to those that had lost family and friends due to the Covid virus. Their services were completely canceled. If a person had died in a hospital of Covid-19, they were to be transported from the hospital, cremated, and buried without any type of service Had it not been for Covid-19, I think that Art Reyes would have had the rapid medical attention that he deserved. Doctors would have been “on the spot” in treating him for his condition, and not meeting just once a month to discuss someone’s condition with cancer. Many times, I felt that he was dismissed because of the covid-rules in place, but there also did not have to be poor/no communication between family and doctors. Funeral services would have been normal for more than 20 people to celebrate his death, and many family members that could not travel from out of town, could have celebrates with us also. The bottom line was his cancer inevitably was the cause for his death, but it wasn’t immediate. His death was due to his failing organs that were secondary to the tumor growth, and medical doctors on a “Corona19 Vacation.”

2020-06-01

Grandpa and Me

During the pandemic just like many individuals i was unable to see my family for a long time which I was struggling with. My grandpa who I usually take to once a week was especially struggling through the pandemic because he wasn't even aloud to leave the house for 4 months. I was planning to go and see him since he was getting sicker but obviously could not. We ended up on FaceTime almost every day just talking about college and what was happening in Chicago. My grandpa was a huge part of my life and being able to help him through the pandemic made me feel so much better. During the pandemic, I was just feeling sad and more homesick than usual. Since school was online I had a lot more time on my hands which led to me and grandpa talking over FaceTime all the time. He had taught me and my roommates how to play poker which was so much fun and gave us something to do at night. Unfortunately, Grandpa had starting getting really sick and had to go to the hospital and be by himself since no one was allowed to accompany him. He had eventually gotten even sicker in the hospital and passed away. I was thankful that I got to talk to him the day before he went in the hospital because it was the last conversation I go to have with him. Eventually I was able to meet my family in Chicago so that we could bury him but because of the pandemic we could not hold a funeral to honor him which was very sad. While not being able have a funeral us as a family still celebrated his life together . I know many people out loved ones during this pandemic which is terrible, but it reminded me towards the end that even with all that was happening my grandpa found the positives in life until the end. I learned through him that no matter what life or the world throws your way you can always share the love and make each day count.

2020-08-22

Facebook obituary

My husband's aunt died from COVID. She had complications with a previous lung condition, and went to the hospital, but ultimately didn't survive. His uncle held a virtual mass to commemorte her life, held by the Santa Ana church. His uncle is absolutely gutted, and tested postivie for COVID as well. Luckily, he survived, but it pains him to survive without his beloved by his side. Peru, loss, grief, mass, death, virtual, obituary

2020-07-11

The Governor Killed My Father

When Kristin Urquiza's father Mark Urquiza died in July as a result of Covid-19, she wrote a scathing obituary, that was published in the Arizona Republic. She wrote: “His death is due to the carelessness of the politicians who continue to jeopardize the health of brown bodies through a clear lack of leadership, refusal to acknowledge the severity of this crisis, and inability and unwillingness to give clear and decisive direction on how to minimize risk." As its contributors, we added this to highlight the very real costs of the pandemic in the working-class and non-white communities that have been hardest hit by the virus. In this instance, Kristin Urquiza wrote an obituary that called out Arizona Governor Doug Ducey for his inconsistent and inadequate response to the crisis. This message highlights the degree to which the virus is not just a biological phenomenon but also a political one.

2020-04

Tweets from Inside a Prison 4/26-5/2/2020 by Railroaded Underground

These images follow the Tweets on an incarcerated person who is sharing what it is like to be incarcerated during the covid pandemic. In the Tweets they mention the inmates discussing their obituaries, that a Vietnam veteran went "man down" which I believe means he has covid, and they retweeted a call for people to help a woman who is now in ICE detention after fleeing her abusive husband.

2020-03-25

"COVID-19's Impact on the Black Community: Remembering Those Who Have Lost Their Lives [Updating]"

From the website: "The coronavirus has—and will continue to—affect people from all walks of life, at every age, background and socioeconomic status. As COVID-19 spreads across the country, we at The Root are committed to chronicling its impact on the black community. We will continue to write stories of noted individuals who’ve lost their lives to this deadly virus. But we also wanted to remember and honor the artists, teachers, activists, thinkers, innovators, leaders and other unsung heroes who’ve also been taken too soon by this deadly disease. We will update this list regularly as this pandemic continues to touch our community."

2020-04-09

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