It was the best of times but eventually it became the worst of times. We watched from afar until one visitor changed our lives ,then all 'hell broke loose'. We weren't watching from afar again because we were now involved. The wreakage it left behin...
It was the worst of times. Nothing good could be said about this period in our lives. The world news exploded in our ears leaving the remnants of pain and torture. Families were being torn apart because there was no way the hospitals were accepting any visitors which was understandable. Loved ones were left in the care of strangers not knowing if it would be the last day they would ever see your face or hear your voice. It was even worst for the persons with underlying conditions such as Heart disease , asthma, hypertension etc. their fear was doubled . Italy's count had now surpassed the centre of the pandemic China. It was depressing . The Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte cried when the death toll went from 2- 400 in 26 days and in the weeks ahead over 600 per day. His words were these' We have lost control. We can't understand what more to do. All solutions are exhausted on the ground. Our only hope remains up in the sky.' With great big tears rolling down his face. It was a shock to see their downfall. The hospital overflowed with the sick causing some persons to be placed outside for treatment. In this case treatment was treating the fever and getting the patient oxygen.
This was not the common cold . There was no vaccine or antibiotics for Covid 19. We were doomed! The scientists said it would take a year to 18 months to concoct an antibiotics. What! Would we even be alive then? Spain's numbers were rising rapidly too. They were in second position for the title. The U.K was in the running for third spot. The situation became worst for them when the British Prime Minister caught the virus. It was pandemonium. Doctors,health care workers, good Samaritans were dieing everyday.
It was everyman for himself . No country could offer help because we were all sailing in the same boat. Either we sink , float or swim for our lives. Every business person felt the pinch. The airline industry,the cruise ship industries,the tourist industries, the hoteliers, the restaurateurs, other large franchises and small businesses were greatly impacted. It would be years before these business could be rebuilt. In the USA , it stormed California's state before quickly spreading to almost 30 other states.
The numbers slowly climbed in the wake of this horrendous disease. No one was speared. Stricker lockdowns were now being implemented , the phrase 'Stay home 'was being used every second of everyday. Keep away from people with coughs and sneezes. Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water was being heard on every radio stations advertisements. It was a stressful time for all. We were coming to the end of March.
My immediate family was still in New York. They were citizens there.We called each other every day. My mother complained one day that she had been having nausea and pain in her stomach .
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This was regular for my Mom. She was always complaining about some pain or another all our lives. We secretly called her 'old before her time' or old before young. She told us our uncle was having the same symptoms and they agreed it was food positioning. My mom is Jamaican born so she is always cooking some kind of Jamaican cuisine. She traditionally cooks what is known as stewed peas and white rice on a Thursday for herself and my uncle who is a Pastor in New York. She claimed that it was after they ate the preferred meal that they began to have these symptoms. After a week the pain became worst and she went to the emergency care unit where they gave her antibiotics. All this time she did not eat anything fulfilling because she claimed her appetite was gone.
The doctor at the care unit said she also developed gastrointestinal. Meanwhile my uncle was getting the same treatment from his doctor. By the third day my mom's symptoms became unbearable. She decided she was going to the hospital. This was discouraged by my brothers and I because the hospital was the last place you wanted to be when there is an outbreak of an infectious disease. Saturday morning my older brother Michael took the day off to attend to her and her condition had deteriorated. She was unable to talk ,in great pain, and was having diarrhea. She was definitely sick. My brother tried offering her tea and food but she complained she had no appetite. My brother left to attend his home for a few minutes when my mother text him that she was going to the hospital. My mother called the ambulance and when the paramedics arrived they diagnosed that she had a urinary tract infection. They transferred her to one of the hospitals for treatment.
My older brother and I made several attempts to call her but the calls failed. It seems her phone was turned off. My smaller brother was in training for the US army since February so he was not aware of what was happening. My older brother was frantic. He lived an hour away from her but could do nothing because there were several hospitals in the area and he could not tell which one they had transferred her to. None of the hospitals were taking any calls or visitors or giving out any information. It was very frustrating for us. I was in Jamaica locked in. My other brother was in training so there was nothing we could do but play the wait game.
In the meantime my uncle the Pastor had called and said his wife who is a nurse in the state was diagnosed with the Covid 19 and has been hospitalized two days ago. My uncle was still sick like my mom during this time.
We tried to hide the news of their sickness from my grandma who lives in England because she was very frail at the time. Somehow she found out that all three of them were sick. No mother likes to hear that their children are sick. Whether they are 6 or 60 it was the same pain. The same agonizing pain that rips your heart to shreds. Things did not let up for us. My brother and I did not sleep well that night. We were up most of the night talking on the phone. The thoughts running through our heads were left unspoken. We were not ready to hear any bad news. The happenings around us was enough.
Sunday morning at about 6 am my brother text me. He told me our mom had contacted him and she told him where they had transferred her to . He said he was on the way there now. I awaited anxiously wondering if there was any change. When he got there he gave me a call.
The hospital told him that they said they could not give out any information and they were not accepting any visitors. There was nothing else he could do but wait on my mom to text him again. He waited and waited and it was almost four hours when she text him again. She told him the doctors were running alot of test and the results wouldnt be back until the next day. Meanwhile they were treating her for dehydration and the pain in her stomach. She also told him that she was in so much pain she did not think she would make it.
I cannot tell you what went through my brothers mind he is not one to share his deep thoughts. In my mind I tried to encourage myself. I was not a Christian but I believed in God because he did so much for me and took me out of so much trouble in the past. I am not a person who only prayed when things get tough. I was always praising and giving thanks. It gave me strength through each day. In the front of my mind I remembered that Saturday evening I just felt like praising God and praying for my family. I was in this state for almost an hour. I felt refreshed when I was finished and at peace. I told God to take control. When my brother relayed those words, it did not shake me because my faith was strong but in the back of my head there were lingering doubts. Was this the end for my mom? She was only 57. She was still working on her house. She did not have any underlying conditions. As far as we know she was a healthy horse apart from her little nags of pains in her shoulders. Could someone die from a urinary infection? The little voices at the back were getting loud. I can't remember if I slept Sunday night but Monday morning my brother flooded my phone with text messages from her and a voice note. She text us that the wifi in the hospital was poor and because of the needles in her hand that were transferring medication to her body it was difficult to text because her hand became painful so hence the her reason for the slow communication. The results for the test had returned and everything was looking okay yet she was still in excruciating pain. The voice note was worst. In all my 30 + years I had only witnessed my mom being sick once at home. Nothing serious just some boils under her arm pits because she was allergic to a deodorant. Never at the hospital.
The picture in my head of someone on their last hours of life was the same sound on the voicenote. That voice did not belong to my mom. The sound was so weak and horrible I could barely distinguish the words being played. It gave me a hard punch in the chest. It could not be the end for her. We were not ready.
