Items
Mediator is exactly
Deathways
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2021-12-04
Grief and Loss in a Pandemic
Most consider dying during the pandemic the end of the story, but for my family and myself, the death of my sister was the undoing of our culture. On March 13, 2021, just over a year since Covid-19 was declared a pandemic, my younger sister took her own life after a life-long battle with epilepsy, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. She was the youngest of my five siblings, aunt to fourteen nieces and nephews, and mother to two sons. My entire family, with the exception of one sister, all live within minutes of one another. Although we were raised as a close-knit family, disagreements had developed, resentments grew, and we all allowed “social distancing” to justify our lack of contact and communication for almost the entire year. And just like the rest of the nation, our family was divided by political and pandemic beliefs. As I mentioned above, my sister overcame her relentless struggles every day for almost forty years and on March 13, 2021, she lost that battle. Since that day, we have all theorized how the isolation brought on by the pandemic must have played a major role. However, we are only left with assumptions as she didn’t leave a note. What I do know for certain, is my family and I had no idea how to grieve during the pandemic. Social distancing, occupancy restrictions, stay-at-home orders and mask mandates challenged every aspect of how our Hispanic culture grieves. After an entire year of living in isolation, coming together as family, came with conflicted feelings of cultural proclivity and the health of our loved ones. As my family rushed to my parents’ home upon hearing the tragic news, there was a twinge of apprehension as we sought comfort one another’s arms. By midafternoon, their home was overcome with family overwhelmed with anguish, while instinctively gauging six feet distance. While notifying friends and family, tears and words of comfort gave way to requests to leave a note at the makeshift shrine in the front yard in lieu coming inside. Making arrangements meant we had to settle for any location willing to allow all forty of us at the memorial. Non-family members would only be allowed to walk through to say their last good-bye, once the family left the building to not exceed occupation restrictions. The cemetery would only allow fifteen people at the gravesite, not the dozens of friends and family who wanted to share their condolences. My mom, still reeling with loss, wanted to include those she loved and who loved my sister and chose a plot next to the street so the other family members could stand off the property while my sister was laid to rest. Following the burial, instead of opening our home and coming together to celebrate her life, we selected a secret location that wouldn’t be known to non-family members. Nine months later, despite continued cases and deaths, Covid restrictions have lessened and most people have resumed their lives as they were pre-Covid. For my family and I, losing my sister still feels unreal. I saw her in her final resting place, but grieving in my culture looks and feels so different than what I experienced. We find comfort and healing in community and in each other’s arms. We open our home to friends and family and welcome their offerings of condolences. We come together to share food, memories, and loss and we find healing. The pandemic unraveled all we knew about how to deal with loss, and the grief remains in isolation, unable to transition into acceptance. -
2021-10-14
Suffering of My Relatives From COVID-19
Here is a story of how the pandemic affected some relatives of mine who currently live in India. Specifically, they live in Bangalore, in South India. Between January and February of this year, they caught the COVID-19 disease. Perhaps they got it while they were in the central city shopping area doing routine shopping. In any case, it afflicted my relatives strongly. Two of them died, having succumbed to COVID-19. A significant way in which the disease tormented them was in their loss of sense of taste. Once COVID-19 affected them, beyond experiencing much fatigue, chills, and body aches, they could not taste anything. My affected aunt had apparently claimed, "Everything tastes like mud." The loss of taste, fatigue, chills, fever, and breathing difficulty are standard symptoms for the COVID-19 disease, which may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. Also, the pandemic affects different individuals in different ways. The disease progresses in its affecting people, with mild symptoms eventually developing to severe illness. Unfortunately, until the COVID-19 symptoms passed, quarantine measures were taken against my relatives; they were confined within their apartments. As I am close to these people not physically but in a familial sense - as I am currently living in the US – their suffering had a great emotional impact on me; and their welfare means much to me. l can also empathize with Indian COVID-19 suffering, especially the notion of suffering due to lack of taste. Indian culture greatly values cuisine, and taste is an associated factor of cuisine; therefore, loss of taste is quite significant. -
2021-10-09
The loss of an Aunt
Recently, I have lost a beloved aunt due to Covid-19. The loss has greatly impacted my family and I during the pandemic. -
2021-01-11
My Dad...The first EPPD officer to die from Covid-19
After a month of battling Covid-19, my father passed away due to complications caused by the virus. He was due to retire in January 2021. He worked for the El Paso Police Department for 23.5 years. His passing hit us all hard and it was unexpected as the doctors had told us several days before that he would make it. Then he took a turn for the worst. When his co-workers asked what did he look forward to in his retirement, he said spending time with his family and his granddaughter. We still miss him to this day, especially as the holidays approach. -
2021-10-07
Abigail Barr Oral History, 2021/10/07
This audio recording describes my grandfather's funeral at the beginning of the pandemic. It was very difficult because my family couldn't grieve together. We had to have separate services ten people each. We could not have any other family come because we were on lockdown. The whole situation was extremely sad because the pandemic kept our family apart during a difficult time. -
2021-09-30
Mobile Morgue
Eastern Washington and other small towns in Washington are having so many extra deaths from Covid, they are having to bring in refrigerator trucks to store the bodies before they can be buried. This information is still not enough for some people to get vaccinated and try to stop the spread of Covid. Many areas, like in Wenatchee where this article originated, are struggling to keep up with the influx of unvaccinated sick people and are having an even harder time trying to find a place to put their bodies. -
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. -
2021-10-04
Worldwide Statistics
While researching pandemic memes, I came across this website that compiles statistics on the pandemic from all around the world. -
2021-09-17
Sobering Statistics
Once again, Covid-19 tops the list for Law Enforcement In Line of Duty Deaths, just as it did last year. Now, more than ever, Law Enforcement needs our support and assistance! -
2020-03-28
Five years took for granted
Five. This was the number of years that I was able to spend with one of the most important people in my life, my uncle. From the moment I moved here in Brooklyn, he was one of the few that made me feel welcomed. He loved me, took care of me and supported me as if we'd know each other our entire lives. He stood as a second father figure to me, and he truly always managed to put a smile on everyone's face. But, on March 28th, 2020 COVID-19 got the best of him and unfortunately passed away. I was devastated and so heartbroken. Despite how painful his death was, it taught me many valuable lessons. But, I believe the most important one is to not take each day we get to spend with our families for granted. -
2020-03-10
Goodbye Grandma
This text I wrote is in memory of my grandma, and the horrible and traumatic flashbacks of Covid 19. This experience took a huge toll on me and my family. -
2020-04-01
COVID-19 Through My Eyes
This story is about my experience with Covid-19 and how my family and I endured the hardships we faced and everything we have gone through in the past years. This is important to me because it shares about the struggles we went through and shows what we experienced through what i consider to be the worst moments of my life. -
2020-03-28
Life During A Pandemic
Personal experience during the Covid-19 -
2020-03
Unimaginable Grief
[March 2020] A month in time no one would ever want to go back to. My friend and I were enjoying our day and suddenly got news that campus will be closed until further notice. It was a scary and confusing moment; before you knew it everyone was talking about the virus. We definitely underestimated the virus and saw it spread in the blink of an eye. Slowly but surely we all began to realize how serious this was and prayed day and night for it to end. Cities went on lockdown, thousands became unemployed, and families grieved the loss of loved ones suddenly taken by this evil virus. I am so fortunate enough to have my close family and friends here with me today, but that does not mean these last one and a half years did not take a toll on me mentally. We've lost many loving family friends whom we never expected to lose this early. One thing the pandemic, thankfully, taught me is to appreciate those who you love because you do not know when they can be taken away from you. As hard as this experience was, I am grateful for the ups and downs and pray for the beautiful souls lost. Rest In Peace <3 -
2020-04-22
Enjoy Every Second Life Presents to You
I remember when the pandemic first started just like it was yesterday. It was a very frightening time to be alive. A couple months before the pandemic, I got my license. I couldn’t have done it without my driving instructor. He was a family friend that we’ve known for a very long time. He was full of charisma and always energetic. When he found out that I passed my driving test, he promised to take me out to a local restaurant and celebrate. Everytime we would schedule a time to go to the restaurant, something would either come up on my end or his end. We were always cancelling on each other. March came around, and I went to his driving school site to pick up some paperwork. We were talking about the pandemic not knowing how serious it really was. We scheduled our lunch towards the end of March. Everything was cancelled due to quarantine. I didn’t hear from him or see him for about a month. We found out that he had passed from Covid-19. That changed my whole perspective on the virus. I began taking it very seriously and took every precaution I could take against the virus. What they say is true about people not taking the virus seriously unless someone close to you gets affected by it. You wouldn’t expect someone with such a good heart to be taken off this earth so sudden. -
2020-01-01
The real pandemic
during the covid 19 pandemic everybody was panicking and worrying about getting a vaccine. i just moved here from another state and i left my mom and brother back home. they lived in a bad neighborhood so during the pandemic they was not only afraid of the covid pandemic but the violent pandemic that plagued the streets where they lived. during the pandemic i lost both my mom and brother to gun violence. -
2020
The Importance of Family During Covid-19
Throughout the pandemic, my parents tried to navigate the line between being flexible yet cautious. They did their best to keep my siblings and I safe while also trying to understand and accommodate our needs as young adults to connect with our peers. It was important that they balanced the health and well-being of not only our immediate family but our extended family as well. For as long as I can remember, my family has spent every holiday, birthday, and any other major or minor event with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. My family, as well as my dad’s side of the family, are all local to Pittsburgh, so I have been lucky enough to grow up with them. My dad is one of five and all together there is fourteen of us grandchildren. In January of 2020, right before covid had started, our grandmother passed away from pancreatic cancer. This was a very hard time for my family as we were all incredibly close to her. However, as I look back, I am almost grateful that she is at peace and did not have to experience the crazy covid world in which we are currently living in. My uncle also had pancreatic cancer and had been living with it since his diagnosis in 2012. Our family did everything we could to get him the best treatment and keep him as healthy as possible. Covid made it extremely difficult to be with my family and it was something that I was not used to as I spend much of my time with them. However, our uncle was always our number one thought through it all as he was very at risk due to his underlying health conditions. Months and months went by without seeing my family and we had to continue to cancel get togethers due to my family members health concerns. Not seeing my family frequently was a struggle as I felt disconnected from them and events happening in their lives. My uncle began to fall very ill in September of 2020 and I felt that I was unaware of the extent of his illness. The disconnect and miscommunication from quarantine and covid made it very difficult to get through his time of sickness. Unfortunately, my uncle had passed away shortly after falling ill. It was difficult to think of all of the time we as a family could’ve spent together over the course of the pandemic and all of the memories we could have been making with our uncle before he passed. The pandemic had negatively affected many aspects of life in general but losing a loved one in addition is indescribable. As horrible as the pandemic has been, it has taught me many important lessons in life. I have always loved and appreciated my family but the events that occurred during the pandemic had only brought me closer to them and made us stronger in the end. -
2020-11-10
"Those who died during COVID-19 outbreak at Holyoke Soldiers' Home honored with virtual tribute"
This MassLive article reports on a coalition attempting to memorialize the veterans at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home in Holyoke, Massachusetts, who had died throughout the pandemic, most of them as a result of contracting COVID-19. -
2020-10-20
"Bennett Walsh resigns as Holyoke Soldiers' Home superintendent; suit over firing dropped"
This MassLive article reports on Holyoke Soldiers' Home superintendent Bennett Walsh's decision to drop a law suit after Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker had him fired in light of the facility's poor response to the pandemic. -
2020-04-20
"Coronavirus at Holyoke Soldiers' Home: Flags to fly at half-staff after at least 52 veterans die of COVID-19
This article, produced by MassLive, reports on Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker's decision to have flags flown at half-mast at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home in Holyoke, Massachusetts, to commemorate the veterans who had died at the facility from COVID-19. -
2020-04-03
"Coronavirus: Western Massachusetts legislators call for 2nd investigation into Holyoke Soldiers' Home COVID-19 Deaths"
This article published by MassLive reports on local legislatures' desire to issue a second investigation into the COVID-19 response at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home in Holyoke, Massachusetts, in light of the number of deaths among residents and the number of cases among residents and staff. -
2020-03-31
"Coronavirus: Holyoke Soldiers' Home superintendent placed on leave, at least 5 residents die from COVID-19"
This article published by MassLive.com reports on the suspension of the superintendent of the Holyoke Soldiers' Home in Holyoke, Massachusetts, after several residents died and numerous other residents and staff members tested positive. -
2020-03-31
"Coronavirus: 'We were just shocked' to learn of Holyoke Soldiers' Home deaths, Mayor Alex Morse says"
This article describes Holyoke mayor Alex Morse's reaction when he found out about the magnitude of the COVID-19 situation at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home. -
2020-04-07
Navigating Grief After a Sudden Death
A blog post from Banner Health offering suggestions on managing grief. -
2021-08-16
from the eyes of a teacher
A friend of mine is a teacher for the Los Angeles School District. She shared on social media how Covid has impacted her school and its students. -
2021-08-06
Death of a Beloved Pet
This item is an update to item 45606 - "Diminished Quality of Veterinary Care During the Pandemic." My darling, beloved dog, Evie, passed away Sunday, August 1st, 2021. My family's hearts and mine are broken. Evie was with us for 10 amazing years. We got her the week my husband and I moved into our first home (we were unmarried at the time). She was a part of the marriage proposal. My husband literally said, "Evie and I would like to know if you would marry us." She was in our engagement photos. When I was pregnant and on bed rest for 6 months, she laid with me, her head on my belly. When our daughter was born and we came home from the hospital, she leapt the baby gate to come meet her and check on me (the only time she ever leapt that gate). During the pandemic, she was always at our sides from every Zoom meeting, for every missed holiday, for every tear of frustration and loneliness. We were blessed to have that extra time with her. When she was diagnosed with cancer, we were terrified we would lose her, but she made it through. Not this time. On July 11th, I noticed she seemed a little underweight. That night she started having diarrhoea. None of the usual remedies would stop it. I called the vet on the 13th. Due to the pandemic, they couldn't see her until the 17th. At that point that did a fecal and blood work and gave us metrinidozole for the diarrhea. That helped initially, but success was short lived. More blood work was needed, which was done a few days later. It took nearly a week to get results. They narrowed the problem down to the small intestine, but were not entirely sure what was causing it. They suggested perhaps it was IBS and all we had to do was find a food she could digest better. Meanwhile, her health continued to decline. The evening of July 31st, Evie looked terrible. I took her to the emergency vet the following morning. I had to call around because the wait times were hours long to be seen. I got her into one relatively close to our house, but due to the pandemic I was not allowed in. The vet who I never got to even see wanted to keep Evie over night, rerun a bunch of tests, and charge us $2,660. I had a feeling she would not make it through all that, so we settled on giving her IV fluids and antiemetics and sending her home with me. I intended to contact the vet immediately monday morning, but that was not to be. As soon as we got home from the emergency vet, Evie could no longer walk or hold her head up. I sat with her all day. After dinner, I picked her up and carried her over to the couch where we always snuggled. We had just laid down together, she took 3 deep shuttering breaths, and stopped breathing. Her eyes were shaking like she was having a seizure, but her body was still. Her heart was pounding, then it slowed, and two minutes later it stopped. My baby was gone. I will always wonder if it had not been the pandemic if we could have identified the problem faster. I will never know. Life will never be the same. -
2021-07-24
Janine Brown. Oral History, July 24, 2021
In this two-part interview, Ashley Tibollo interviews Janine Brown on how her life was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. In the first part of the interview, Brown discusses how her last year of college was impacted and about her transition to remote teaching. She discusses her fears of the Delta variant, what sources she uses to get her information and what her feelings are regarding government action. She also discusses family life and how she was affected by the quarantine. She ends this part with her hopes for the future. In the second part of this interview, Brown discusses her decision to move in with her boyfriend right before quarantine and what it was life navigating a new relationship amidst a pandemic. She also discusses her pets and how their moods changed as her life changed. She discusses the difficulties of house hunting and the ways that the pandemic has affected the market. -
2020-04-09
Grieving Rituals Lost to COVID-19
Rituals are an important way to celebrate special occasions and victories as well as to deal with the stresses of life. This article discusses the grieving process people have gone through because of the loss of rituals (graduations, funerals, weddings) during the pandemic and the importance of creating new rituals. -
2020-04-28
The effect of suppressing funeral rituals during the COVID-19 pandemic on bereaved families*
This documental study was intended to understand the meanings individuals who have lost loved ones in this context assign to the phenomenon of suppressed funeral rituals. -
2021-03-07
The COVID Racial Data Tracker
This data tracker showed how Covid-19 disproportionately affected black, Latinx, and indigenous communities. -
2020-03-09
the offer of hope
I took this photo at LAX on March 9, 2020. My father died suddenly the evening before. The Coronavirus was beginning to change our daily lives. Little did I know that this trip would be the last for many months. Each day offers us a chance for a new beginning. I hope we remember the lives lost. I hope we remember the quiet beauty of an empty city. I hope we remember the gratitude we felt for all the doctors, nurses, service workers, delivery drivers, teachers and frontline workers. I hope we remember the creative outlets we found. For all the missed birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, barbeques and gatherings, I hope we now embrace one another in the joy of each new day. -
2021-07-07
Hosts break down after quarantined man’s mother passes away | Today Show Australia
This is a heartbreaking story from Australia about a man who flew around the world to try to get to his dying mother, only to have the Queensland government block his way. So many people across the globe had to die alone without their loved ones because of this pandemic. Hospitals and governments need to come up with a safe system to allow for visitation of dying relatives during pandemics because, sadly, this will likely happen again in the future. -
2021-07-16
And No You
My mom died of COVID-19 last July when her nursing home in Atlanta was overrun with the virus. Before that, she lived with me, my dog, and cat. The way she lived in the house made it truly a home for us. I am a workaholic, often using the house for a fast supper and some sleep before starting all over the next day, sprinting back to work. The poem is our way of telling her how much she is missed. -
2021-07-14
Pandemia ha dejado 498 mil 164 muertes más de las esperadas en México [Pandemic has left 498,164 more deaths than expected in Mexico]
México registra un exceso de mortalidad de 498 mil 164 personas fallecidas a lo largo de la pandemia de coronavirus. Del total, 71 por ciento, es decir, 353 mil 858 se asocian a la enfermedad de COVID-19 y el resto a otro tipo de causas. De acuerdo con el reporte “Exceso de mortalidad en México” de la Secretaría de Salud, señala que, entre diciembre de 2019 y la semana epidemiológica 22 (que va del 30 de mayo al 5 de junio de 2021), se esperaba un millón 70 mil 79 muertes por distintas causas, pero el registro es de un millón 568 mil 243, es decir, 46.6% más. Con respecto al género, el exceso de mortalidad se ha presentado principalmente en hombre con 319 mil 967 decesos, de los cuales 144 mil 703 tienen confirmación de muerte por SARS-CoV-2. Mexico has an excess mortality of 498,164 people killed during the coronavirus pandemic. Of the total, 71 percent, or 353,858 are associated with COVID-19 disease and the rest are associated with other causes. According to the report “Excessive mortality in Mexico” of the Ministry of Health, notes that between December 2019 and the 22nd epidemiological week (from May 30 to June 5, 2021), 70,079 deaths from different causes were expected. but the record is 568,243, that is, 46.6% more. With regard to gender, excess mortality has occurred mainly in men with 319,967 deaths, of which 144,703 have confirmed death by SARS-CoV-2. -
2021-07-13
Indonesia’s Daily Cases Surpass India, Marking New Epicenter
Indonesia surpassed India’s daily Covid-19 case numbers, marking a new Asian virus epicenter as the spread of the highly-contagious delta variant drives up infections in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. The country has seen its daily case count cross 40,000 for three straight days -- including a record high of 54,517 on Wednesday -- up from less than 10,000 a month ago. Officials are concerned that the more transmissible new variant is now spreading outside of the country’s main island, Java, and could exhaust hospital workers and supplies of oxygen and medication. Indonesia’s current numbers are still far from India’s peak of 400,000 daily cases in May, and its total outbreak of 2.7 million is barely a tenth of the Asian giant’s 30.9 million. India, with a population roughly five times the size of Indonesia’s 270 million people, saw daily infections drop below 39,000 on Wednesday as its devastating outbreak wanes. The Southeast Asian country reported about 900 deaths daily on average in the past seven days -- compared to just 181 a month ago -- while India reported an average of 1,027 daily fatalities. -
2021-07-14
En sólo un día contagios de covid-19 aumentan de 20 a 108 en Coahuila [In just one day covid-19 infections increase from 20 to 108 in Coahuila]
La tercera ola de contagios de covid-19 parece haber llegado a Coahuila, toda vez que de golpe los nuevos casos subieron en las últimas 24 horas de 20 a 108, según el reporte diario de la Secretaría de Salud estatal. En estos nuevos casos se incluyen 9 defunciones, ocurridas en 4 municipios del estado, que son liderados por Torreón en donde se registraron 5 de los decesos; en tanto que Saltillo reportó 2 y los municipios de Nava y Piedras Negras, uno en cada lugar; de ellos, sólo uno no estaba reportado como persona enferma. The third wave of covid-19 infections appears to have reached Coahuila, as new cases suddenly rose in the last 24 hours from 20 to 108, according to the daily report of the state health department. These new cases include 9 deaths, occurring in 4 municipalities of the state, that are led by Torreón where 5 of the deaths were recorded; while Saltillo reported 2 and the municipalities of Nava and Piedras Negras, one in each place; of them, only one was not reported as a sick person. -
2021-07-14
Los Angeles Covid Cases Up 500% Over Past Month; Test Positivity Rises Nearly 700% As Delta Variant Takes Hold
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 1,103 new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday. It’s the fifth consecutive day cases have been over 1,000. For perspective, one month ago, the 5-day average of cases was 201. Today the 5-day average is 1,095; this is an increase of more than 500% in just one month. That increase has come even as testing has dropped precipitously, which means the actual rise of infections is likely much greater as there are fewer chances to identify cases. -
2021-07-14
US Overdose Deaths Hit Record 93,000 in Pandemic Last Year
Overdose deaths soared to a record 93,000 last year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. government reported Wednesday. That estimate far eclipses the high of about 72,000 drug overdose deaths reached the previous year and amounts to a 29% increase. "This is a staggering loss of human life," said Brandon Marshall, a Brown University public health researcher who tracks overdose trends. The nation was already struggling with its worst overdose epidemic but clearly "COVID has greatly exacerbated the crisis," he added. Lockdowns and other pandemic restrictions isolated those with drug addictions and made treatment harder to get, experts said. -
2021-07-14
Las muertes globales por covid aumentaron un 3 % en la última semana [Global covid deaths up 3% in the last week}
ras nueve semanas consecutivas de descensos en el número de muertes globales por covid-19, del 5 al 11 de julio se registró un aumento del 3 % con respecto a la semana anterior, con más de 55.000 fallecimientos, según el informe epidemiológico semanal de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS). After nine consecutive weeks of declines in the number of global deaths from COVID-19, there has been an increase of 3% from 5 to 11 July compared to the previous week, with more than 55,000 deaths. According to the World Health Organizations' (WHO) weekly epidemiological report. -
2020-05-24
HERMIT HERALD, ISSUE 32
Global death rate per 100,000 -
2020-04-06
Celebrating Life During Covid
The echoing silence is what stands out to me the most. Where there should have been “Taps” playing, blanks being fired in the air, and stories being told, there was nothing. On April 1, 2020, my grandfather passed away of natural causes. Under normal circumstances, my parents and I would have traveled up to Montana to attend his funeral. However, due to the fact that my father and I are immune-compromised, we were unable to attend. Even if we were able to make the trip, there was the possibility that we would not be able to attend the service. The funeral home only allowed ten people to be at the funeral, masked-up and socially distanced. On the day of the funeral, April 6, 2020, my parents and I attended the funeral virtually. We were sitting in the car (my parents were at work) watching the funeral on a FaceTime call with my sister. The service was extremely short. The funeral home wanted to make the service as quick as possible to limit potential exposure. This meant there was no eulogy, no military honors (he was an Air Force veteran), and very little time for the sharing of stories of personal stories. Thus, the service was oddly quiet. Funerals are typically quiet, but this was something more. There were tears, but the tears were hallowed. A lot of the emotion involved with a funeral comes from the memories shared. These tears are not all sad tears. This is because a life is being celebrated, all the ups and downs. The tears at my grandfather’s funeral were all sadness. Sad tears sound different than happy tears. Happy tears are often associated with laughter, something lacking at this funeral. Another sound that was absent during my grandfather’s funeral was his military honors. Typically, at a funeral that involves a veteran, there are a few things happen: “Taps” is played, a rifle detail fires blanks into the air, and a burial flag is presented to the next of kin. My grandfather did not receive military honors at his funeral. Thus, these sounds were not present. My grandfather’s funeral was the closest thing to silent as can possibly be. Covid prevented my grandfather from having the funeral he deserved. Fortunately, my family was able to give him a proper celebration of life in June 2020, which involved everything that had been missing at his funeral. The sounds of happy and sad tears were present, along with the sounds of full military honors. I am glad we were able to accomplish this, but to me, it felt different. The memories of his “silent” funeral were still engrained in my mind, causing me to have mixed emotions of sadness and anger that were not able to properly celebrate him at his funeral. -
2021-06-28
My Pandemic Experience
When the pandemic was coming, I was initially relieved. I was supposed to fly to Chicago to visit my sister and go to our favorite band’s (Keane) concert, but as a person with anxiety and panic disorder who is terrified of airplanes and crowds it allowed me to back out. The concert was cancelled. It was the excuse I needed to back out without shame or blame. It seems silly now, but at the time covid seemed more like a bad cold or flu to me. It seemed like another Swine Flu or Avian Flu or other scare in recent memory which hadn’t amounted to a plague style pandemic. Lockdown was even kind of nice at first. My husband, daughter, and I got to spend a lot of family time together. I had taught ESL online for a number of years previously, so converting my in school classes to online was easy. I had no problems teaching over Zoom. I’m a homebody anyway, by habit and by anxiety, so this was great… until the body count started. I was horrified and sickened to hear about the freezer containers being used in New York City to store the overflow of bodies. The germaphobia that had plagued me in childhood, that I had gone to years of therapy to overcome, came roaring back with a vengeance. Like everyone else, I went to the grocery store to stock up so I wouldn’t have to leave me house for awhile, only to find shelf after shelf empty. As a super health conscious, organic, vegan my choices were extremely limited. My husband and daughter aren’t vegan, but they do eat only organic, which became impossible. Soap, disinfectant, cleaners, and hand sanitizers were nowhere to be found. At a time when it was so important to be as clean and healthy as possible all those modern conveniences were utterly gone. I felt helpless. I imagined that people living during pandemics like the bubonic plague and Spanish flu must have felt similarly. After a couple of weeks, quarantine started to feel more like a claustrophobic prison sentence than a family vacation. I missed my sister, my parents, my friends, my colleagues, and my students. On my birthday and Easter I just had to wave at my parents through the glass door. My favorite hobby- taekwondo, which I had started in order to relieve stress and help with my anxiety was taken from me. I had to do the classes online from my living room, which was nearly impossible. I felt trapped. A raging epidemic across the planet from which there was no escape. If I spent too much time thinking about it, I would start to feel the claw of panic. By the time summer arrived I was at breaking point. Luckily with summer we had some reprieve. Case loads declined, and I started meeting my best friend outside. We socially distanced ourselves and wore masks, but we were together and that was a start. By the end of summer she and her boyfriend were on our “quaranteam” that is we decided we could see each other since we weren’t seeing anyone else. In the fall school started. Since I teach at a Catholic school we were able to have school in person full time, though we had students in every grade who opted to go remote. But my bestie and I were back in the building with most of the kids, and I started to feel less trapped. I was going to stores masked and my daughter was also in school. But as soon as Thanksgiving hit everything changed again. So many people ignored all of the recommendations and restrictions and got together with family and friends. It made me so angry that people were so careless. A friend of mine had a large family in Pennsylvania who all got together for Thanksgiving. She didn’t go because she thought it was reckless. 8 out of 14 people at the family dinner got covid and 2 of them died. Then at Christmas, my great uncle passed. No funeral. No wake. Nothing. Schools shut down again. We were trapped. Then the vaccines came. It was nearly impossible to get one for a long time even if you were eligible. Slots filled as fast as they were posted. You needed to present a lot of proof of eligibility in order to get one. As a teacher, I was able to get mine earlier than many others. I got the Moderna. The first shot made me feel a little sick for a few hours, but with the second I had a fever of 103.5, aches, chills, nausea for 12 hours and a general malaise for 3 days. A friend of mine in taekwondo, who has some autoimmune problems, had a severe reaction after her first Moderna vaccine. She has had side effects for a few months now that are not going away. She has dizzy spells and heart palpitations regularly. She is undergoing testing and being monitored by the CDC. Despite some horror stories, the vaccine is still the absolute best thing that we could have hoped for. I would like my daughter to get it as soon as they open it to the under 12 population. A lot of people won’t get the vaccine because they are in the “Science is fake, I’m a Trump supporter” camp. In my opinion, Trump’s misinformation and mishandling of the pandemic cost tens of thousands of American lives, and his diversive legacy is going to cost us dearly for many years to come. It is now June again. School just finished. New York State is allowing people to enter buildings unmasked if they are vaccinated, but few people are actually requiring any proof. Given that the people with a cavalier attitude toward wearing masks are many of the same people who are against getting vaccinated, an honors system policy towards wearing masks is really just a no-mask policy. It is very frustrating to me that people can’t just deal with masks for a while longer to fully insure this disease’s eradication before we have another relapse and find ourselves back in quarantine again. -
2020-12-04
Henshin! The nostalgia wanes and reality sets in.
Overcrowded movie theaters, expensive popcorn, and escapism entertainment made for the best days as a child of the 20th century. Surrounded by an ever growing crisis of climate change, the rising political tensions domestic and foreign; nearly every issue fades away as the lights dim in a theater, directing all attention to the action set pieces of the latest blockbuster hit. Unfortunately now, there are no lights to dim, no popcorn to smell, the once intense reverberating sound and art of audio mixing, is now forced to protrude from broken TV sound bars. The magnificent subtle nuances of orchestral scores, become muffled by the yelling of neighbors. As basic and selfish as it may seem, Covid-19 served as a reminder of the unobtainable nostalgia and senses that surround my past, the art of escapism through film. In 2020 I witnessed the passing of loved ones, relationships dwindle, and ironically the comfort of escapism...has now escaped me. Movie theaters were closed, the discomfort of the slightly course and rough woven stitched seats, became a desperate dream, a return to normalcy. The artificial smell of buttered popcorn, along with the overpriced snacks, became memories of an easier past. I wrote Henshin, as a manifestation of the changes of Covid-19. It isn't necessarily that films can never be enjoyed again, but the ability to truly escape, is gone. We view, smell, feel and see things differently now. The bombastic sensation within a theater, sharing the laughs, cries and emotions with other children, is now replaced with a constant checking of watches to return again to the world. The smell of artificial flavoring may be gone forever. Loved ones will never carry us out of a theater again. The inconvenient sounds of crowds, machines, and other viewers, are now replaced with conventional house noises. Undoubtedly film will return, theaters will open up again, but the once wholesome experience from the past has changed. The families laughs have now turned to cries, quoting movies with one another has turned to editing eulogies, smells are now memories instead of new experiences. -
2020-07-16
How Have Pet Birds Been Affected by Covid-19?
Northern Parrots, a bird blog and store in the UK, writes that pet owners are worried that their feathered babies could contract COVID-19. All the evidence shows that is highly unlikely. The blog post also mentions that birds are also affected by lockdown and quarantine in both positive and negative ways. One positive is that their owners are spending more time at home. On the flip side, favorite friends and visitors aren't coming to visit, and sometimes it is hard to find the foods they want. The article mentions Madeira cake, but in my personal experience it was often difficult to find fresh organic produce for awhile. The article goes on to talk about parrot conservation during the pandemic, particularly in Central America. There are fears that people out of work may turn to poaching as a resource for quick cash. Also a beloved ornithologist, Luis Fernando Díaz Chávez, who was important to Paso Pacifico's conservation efforts passed away from COVID-19. -
2020-03-18
How Will COVID-19 Change the World? Historian Frank Snowden on Epidemics From the Black Death to Now
This video is an interview the Democracy Now did with Frank Snowden, Professor Emeritus at Yale University early on in the pandemic (March 18, 2020). Dr. Snowden specializes in the history of epidemic diseases and the history of modern Italy. His father was the first African American ambassador to Italy. At the time of the interview, Dr. Snowden was in lockdown in Rome, Italy. He had gone there to research another project when the pandemic hit, so he changed his focus to studying covid-19. He contracted the disease himself, but was lucky enough to live through it. I was particularly interested in Dr. Snowden's views on the pandemic since I had watched his Yale lecture series on epidemics available on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3AE7B3B6917DE8E6) which was incredible in its thorough exploration of some of the worlds worst outbreaks. In the interview he states that an early modern Florentine would recognize a lot of governments' actions to combat covid-19 as very similar to those used by the Italian city-states and elsewhere in Europe to combat bubonic plague, especially the concept of quarantine. He also addresses the startling commonality between anti-Semitism during the first several plague outbreaks to the Sinophobia and xenophobia seen during our current pandemic. The interviewer also brings up a great question about the possibility of fascism arising out of strict government measures to combat disease. I was particularly curious to hear Dr. Snowden's response in light of the protests in the United States against quarantine and mask-wearing. He acknowledged that while it could be one outcome, it is not the only nor the most probable possibility. Many governments have voluntarily ended their strict measures during pandemics without devolving into fascist states. Now that the pandemic is, it seems, waning I believe it is abundantly clear that those Americans who feared that their freedoms were threatened by historically proven practices were both selfish and foolish. They and our ineffective and dangerous leadership cause the United States to become a hotbed for Covid-19, while other countries who swiftly enacted and enforced lockdown measures and mask mandates, such as New Zealand and Italy, recovered much more quickly. I contend that Donald Trump and his sheep are responsible for thousands of unnecessary deaths. -
2020-05
Masked Visitors
How has Covid-19 changed your daily life? My husband and I moved here in 2014 so I could volunteer with the city archaeologist, Carl Halbirt, and I have been doing that most every day since then. We have two new archaeologists now, but volunteers aren’t allowed until the virus social distancing is lifted. In November my husband died and after a short hiatus from volunteering I started again. Now, I am in my house with my dog every day. I miss being with people. Even our church is doing online services now. On Easter the priest printed large photos of many of our congregation and taped them to the pews, so it looks like we were in church. I saw myself, and right where I usually sit! How is your neighborhood and/or social circle responding to the crisis? My neighbors are all staying home like I am except for a few Flagler students who went to their parents homes. Some are furloughed, others are working from home. Since I’m retired, I’m just missing my volunteer work. Several of my friends and I have a group text several times a week so we can keep up with each other. My Community Hospice social worker is staying in touch with each of our grief support group members by phone, and several of us have exchanged phone numbers so we talk occasionally. The Tolomato Cemetery group is planning a Zoom visit on the third Saturday, which is the day we have the cemetery open for visitors. It will be my first Zoom conversation. I’m looking forward to that. My church, St. Cyprian’s is open each day for individual prayer and the commons and labyrinth are open as well for anyone who wants to pray or just sit in a peaceful place. How has Covid impacted your perspective of St. Augustine? I am happy that our city leaders have been proactive in closing so many businesses. I feel so sorry for the small business owners and workers who have lost their jobs, and I hope when the danger has passed we can get to a new normal. I don’t thing everything will be the same. I am hopeful the city will be able to help the businesses and workers with tax relief or some other means. I am proud of the way the police and firefighters are connecting with us by social media. How has Covid-19 impacted your use of social media? I’ve used it much more to keep up with friends near and far. I have also been using FaceTime with my daughter and son who live in other cities. I’ve been using Shipt to order my groceries for delivery to my house. What practices have you implemented to mitigate the impact of social distancing on your mental health? I’ve tried to make a small list of things I want to accomplish each day, but if I don’t finish it, I don’t beat myself up about it. It helps to keep me from sitting around watching mind numbing Hallmark movies. I’ve tried to walk most evenings around my neighborhood, just to be outside. I am reading books and doing jigsaw puzzles as well. I’ve cleaned/organized several cedar chests and drawers and I am working on bookshelves now. I am also writing a Corona Virus Journal describing my feelings (and there have so many emotional times during this quarantine) and making note of things I’m doing and friends I am talking with. It’s on my computer and I have no idea what I will do with it, but maybe my children will read it someday and maybe I will too. -
2021-05-07
Story of civic warrior 2 nd wave in india
Daily diary of a covid doctor for last 2 months…. The message towards the end of 2nd wave of pandemic The last 2 months of 2nd wave of the pandemic have been the most hectic in all aspects emotionally, physically, personally. Finally got some time to pen down my experience towards the end of this 2 wave. Working in territory care hospital as an intensivist, managing own start-up Providing doctors on call for a home visit, tele and video consultation, free consultation for underprivileged people. Every day waking up after hardly 2 to 3 hours of sleep. I will would see 10 to 15 miss calls, Finish teleconsultation as much as possible and then do a home visit for few patients on the way to hospital, Home visit for covid patients has been a totally different experience, these were the patients under the most stressed condition not getting hospital beds, their family physician had stopped seeing them due to fear of self infection. with proper PPE protection treating patients at home successfully is so self satisfactory as a doctor which only COVID warriors like us can understand. Then reaching my COVID ICU where the sickest patients in the city are there, managing such a sharp surge in critical cases has been a Herculean task, time is key in critical care setup, the timely decision to give ventilator support or ECMO support saved few lives. thankfully I have the best doctors, nurses, paramedics, housekeeping, and management guys who make our work easy. Those grueling 8 hours In PPE without food water or toilet. And the most important was talking with the family of those sick patients, ask any 1 of our covid warriors every1 has hundreds of sad story of each family. This used to break us emotionally. Coming out of covid ICU, the number of missed calls for teleconsultation was pending. I would finish them while having lunch In the evening. During the peak of this my wife working as anesthesia Doctor at BHU got infected for 2 nd time, And lost 2 elder family member due to COVID, But the patient's family expectations from me kept me doing my work, and didn't visit my sick wife or attended the funeral of any of my relatives. Then in late-night had kept free teleconsultation slot for my native hometown Sindri, Dhanbad patients. And also underprivileged patients from pan India. After finishing calls, night again would start home visit for covid patients which would go till 2 to 3 am in the morning. Then finally to find a nap of few hours till the next day of battle. This is the story of lakhs of lakhs of covid warriors like me. But think about us now we are also getting burnt out, So request all people not to relax after 2 nd wave, get vaccinated use mask maintain social distancing even after govt unlocks, it's not over yet………... Dr Animesh Kumar Mishra Critical care medicine specialist Apollo Gleneagles Hospital. Founder of DCHS healthcare solutions. 9176138128 -
2021-01-25
As Long As I'm Living My Mommy You'll Be
Depicts someone who passed away as well as religion. The photo shows blue flowers in the background. On the table, an urn is shown with an angelic figure on top pointing to a necklace on the right-hand side that says mom in a heart with a red stone. On the left-hand side shows a remembrance of life card with a woman named Doreen DeCoursey shown on it in a blue shirt. In writing on the card it says: "In loving memory of Doreen DeCoursey December 14th, 1958- January 7th 2021. God saw she was getting tired and a cure was not to be. So he put his arms around her and whispered come with me. With tearful eyes, we saw her fade away. Although we loved her dearly, We could not make her stay. A golden heart stopped beating Hard working hands to rest. God broke our hearts to prove to us he only takes the best." -
2020-11-30
Only 2020
Andrew Brandt Date: 11/30/21 New Orleans, LA Only 2020 Article 1: California surpasses 18,000 coronavirus deaths, nears 1 million cases It feels like it was not long ago, March 13, 2020. On March 13th, 7 people in the United States had died. Now, just in California, 18,000 people have died. On March 13th, 536 people contracted COVID-19. Now, just in California, we have 1,000,000 cases. We got here by the government and the president downplaying the coronavirus since it first entered the United States. “It will disappear when it gets warmer.” - Donald Trump. It did not disappear when it got warmer, it got worse. Over 250,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. This was a complete failure on the part of our government and our health agencies. Hospitals will be overrun by the end of December. America is now averaging twice the amount of total cases in China a day. China was the epicenter of the disease. America is the laughing stock of the world right now. Article 2: Experts say you shouldn't expect a coronavirus vaccine before December Pfizer announced encouraging news today, but we should not get our hopes up. Most scientists say that a vaccine will not be available to the general public until April-May of next year. This would mean that this entire school year would be plagued by the pandemic. We will be in these masks for a while longer. I hope that the vaccine will come sooner, but it seems unlikely that a vaccine will be approved, much less distributed by the end of December. At least my first year of high school will be semi-normal, but from now on, nothing will ever be normal again. -
2021-05-01
INDIA DYING
This is a breakdown of facts and my opinions on the India Coronavirus situation.