Item
In Memory of Richard Sturges
Title (Dublin Core)
In Memory of Richard Sturges
Disclaimer (Dublin Core)
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Description (Dublin Core)
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.
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.
Date (Dublin Core)
April 19, 2020
Creator (Dublin Core)
Amy Sturgis Smith
Contributor (Dublin Core)
Gabriella Leone
Event Identifier (Dublin Core)
HST718
Partner (Dublin Core)
College of Staten Island
Type (Dublin Core)
Obituary
Link (Bibliographic Ontology)
Controlled Vocabulary (Dublin Core)
English
Biography
English
Social Media (including Memes)
English
Public Health & Hospitals
English
Healthcare
English
Government State
Curator's Tags (Omeka Classic)
obituary
memorial
grief
funeral
hydroxychloroquin
nursing home
hospital
Contributor's Tags (a true folksonomy) (Friend of a Friend)
obituary
memorial
Casey funeral home
Staten Island
loss
grief
Collection (Dublin Core)
Deathways
Date Submitted (Dublin Core)
02/23/2023
Date Modified (Dublin Core)
03/01/2023
This item was submitted on February 28, 2023 by Gabriella Leone using the form “Share Your Lockdown Staten Island Story” on the site “Lockdown Staten Island”: https://covid-19archive.org/s/lockdown-staten-island
Click here to view the collected data.