I am so sorry for your loss...I cry tears of pain for you and those babies but send prayers to a God that I know will continue to give you strength comfort and peace...in Jesus name... amen
I would like to see more stories in the media about the survivors of COVID victims. As a retired teacher, I thought of this recently in the context of the schools. There have to be many bereaved children, teachers, and other school workers out there in our classrooms. What are their stories and the stories of their classrooms, schools, and families as they cope with such profound loss?
I have thought often over the last two years that so many today don’t appreciate real sacrifice. The US as a whole pulled together during WWII. Folks alive then knew we would rise or fall together. Now, we appear to be a spoiled, selfish, whining bunch with the attention span of a gnat & I’m annoyed almost beyond words. Then, I see so many on this platform who understand the bigger picture and are working to get all of us to the other side of this pandemic & my faith is restored in some measure. Thanks, Dan & Elliot, for keeping us steady.
As someone with a rare lung disease I am so grateful to every healthcare provider who is there for me during this pandemic. They fight on the frontline every day. They are exhausted. Often they don’t have enough staff, the National Guard has been deployed in many areas to alleviate some of the strain. It’s never enough. Still every time I am hospitalized the care I receive is caring and professional. They fight to keep me safe. How can I ever express my gratitude for their sacrifice?
The heartbreaking stories unfortunately continue. We must do better. We have become our own foe. We must change. For the sake of those who fight so hard, for those whose lives have been changed forever by the deaths and disability Covid has wrought, it’s time for compassion, understanding, and forgiveness.
Pamela, I’m so very sorry you lost your dear husband to COVID-19. Thank you for sharing your personal story, feelings & the pain you & your beautiful daughters have endured. It’s absolutely shameful what people have said (& still say); they are living in an alternate world devoid of science, logic, common sense & empathy. Take good care.
When Martin emigrated at the age of 8 to the USA with his mother, we never thought that a life could be cut so short and we his parents would outlive him. He became a truly transatlantic person, eagerly absorbing the ‘American Dream’ whilst valuing his British heritage. I watched him with pride as be navigated through high school and then university and, having initially commenced a business career after Boston University, decided this impersonal world was not for him – and he had the courage to change career to a caring profession, as a speech pathologist and dysphagia clinician. Ironically, this was to kill him after he contracted Covid-19 – at a time when seniors in the US Administration first denied the existence of the pandemic and then was slow to mobilise the necessary reaction. Of course I miss him and of course I’m angry that his dedication and that of so many others was betrayed, but nothing that compare with the loss to his wife Pamela and young children. Rather than fade away, Pamela is helping lead the fight for proper recognition and support for similar bereaved families. The hardest loss to comprehend is for my grandchildren – Elsie, who remembers Papa although only 2 at the time; and Graeme, only 6 months – who will never know his wonderful father, except for the abundant stories and pictures of Martin with him and their family – and my own, lesser loss is mitigated by the opportunity from afar to help Graeme and Elsie know their Papa.
Thank you for the article. I belong to the Facebook support groups that Pam set up. I became a widow on 12/6/2020. My husband was 51 years young. He was in perfect health, fit, active and truly the best person. We were together for over 30 years and have three children. They were 25, 21 and 15 years old when Rick died. Rick and I followed all of the rules to stay healthy, but somehow he got it. He became symptomatic on November 11th, admitted to the hospital on November 17th, ventilated on November 20th, and passed on December 6th. As you can imagine, those were the absolute worst days of our lives. We could not be with him. We FaceTimed him everyday even though he was sedated. We watched the strongest man we knew and loved, die a horrible, painful, lonely death. Rick’s parents lost their only son. His sister lost her only sibling. Rick’s co-workers, peers and friends, mourn Rick. I lost my true love. My soul mate. My other half. It’s so hard to live without half of your soul. And, our children, lost so much more. Our daughter, who’s now 16, will miss out on her dad watching her at cheer competitions, helping her with math homework, walking her down the aisle, and so, so much more. When our son turned 21 years old, his dad was too sick to talk to him. He sent him a text, and was ventilated early the next morning. Our oldest so moved back home from Prague. He was making a great life for himself. He needed to be with us and we needed him. My point is, Rick’s death has ripple effects which continue everyday. I grieve for him. He fought like hell. He did not want to die. I grieve for his family, my family, his friends, our children and for myself.
My heart goes out to all those left behind from a covid death. It’s incomprehensible to me how so many people can be and remain so willfully ignorant about this issue.
Pamela Swan Addison... and others who have lost loved ones... Thank you for sharing your story. As Dan Rather says in "Steady" "It is up to us to raise up our voices to drown out those who will sow hate. We can demonstrate that from the soil of heartbreak we can cultivate flowers of hope and remembrance." My heart breaks for you and your children. I believe we can win out over those who sow hate.
Covid touches all of us in one way or another. It is unfortunate it has to be politicized. I lost my best friend of 22+ years Thanksgiving night 2022. Her cause of death was not Covid but it sure was Covid that killed her. She laid in her bed at home refusing to go to the dr/hospital for treatment for fear she might get Covid. So while she didn’t actually die of it, it killed her…. She remained shut in her home since Covid hit the United States ordering everything she needed from the internet. I’m sure she isn’t the only one like this. I wonder how many have died the way she has…. Afraid to seek medical attention for fear of catching Covid….dying alone. I also am aghast at the toll Covid is taking on the families who want and need to be with their loved ones who are dying…we are taking the dignity out of dying… taking closure away from family by not allowing family to be with their loved one.
I lost a Healthcare Hero Husband to the Hepatitis C epidemic acquired on the job before there were treatments. I lost a brother, immersed in conservative CoVid media and unwilling to get a vaccine, even though he was vaccinated for everything else. Had my husband not died before CoVid, he might have been able to get through to my brother. I honor them both. I believe we have to stand up and halt the intentional misinformation about viruses, freedom, public health and pandemics. We should have learned from history here. Science and History.
I am so sorry for your loss...I cry tears of pain for you and those babies but send prayers to a God that I know will continue to give you strength comfort and peace...in Jesus name... amen
Tammy, thank you for sharing your story! GOD bless and keep you and your children in His loving care ❤ 💜👏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿
I am so sorry for your loss !
I would like to see more stories in the media about the survivors of COVID victims. As a retired teacher, I thought of this recently in the context of the schools. There have to be many bereaved children, teachers, and other school workers out there in our classrooms. What are their stories and the stories of their classrooms, schools, and families as they cope with such profound loss?
I have thought often over the last two years that so many today don’t appreciate real sacrifice. The US as a whole pulled together during WWII. Folks alive then knew we would rise or fall together. Now, we appear to be a spoiled, selfish, whining bunch with the attention span of a gnat & I’m annoyed almost beyond words. Then, I see so many on this platform who understand the bigger picture and are working to get all of us to the other side of this pandemic & my faith is restored in some measure. Thanks, Dan & Elliot, for keeping us steady.
This essay is a marvel of steady leadership. I salute you for it.
As someone with a rare lung disease I am so grateful to every healthcare provider who is there for me during this pandemic. They fight on the frontline every day. They are exhausted. Often they don’t have enough staff, the National Guard has been deployed in many areas to alleviate some of the strain. It’s never enough. Still every time I am hospitalized the care I receive is caring and professional. They fight to keep me safe. How can I ever express my gratitude for their sacrifice?
The heartbreaking stories unfortunately continue. We must do better. We have become our own foe. We must change. For the sake of those who fight so hard, for those whose lives have been changed forever by the deaths and disability Covid has wrought, it’s time for compassion, understanding, and forgiveness.
Pamela, I’m so very sorry you lost your dear husband to COVID-19. Thank you for sharing your personal story, feelings & the pain you & your beautiful daughters have endured. It’s absolutely shameful what people have said (& still say); they are living in an alternate world devoid of science, logic, common sense & empathy. Take good care.
When Martin emigrated at the age of 8 to the USA with his mother, we never thought that a life could be cut so short and we his parents would outlive him. He became a truly transatlantic person, eagerly absorbing the ‘American Dream’ whilst valuing his British heritage. I watched him with pride as be navigated through high school and then university and, having initially commenced a business career after Boston University, decided this impersonal world was not for him – and he had the courage to change career to a caring profession, as a speech pathologist and dysphagia clinician. Ironically, this was to kill him after he contracted Covid-19 – at a time when seniors in the US Administration first denied the existence of the pandemic and then was slow to mobilise the necessary reaction. Of course I miss him and of course I’m angry that his dedication and that of so many others was betrayed, but nothing that compare with the loss to his wife Pamela and young children. Rather than fade away, Pamela is helping lead the fight for proper recognition and support for similar bereaved families. The hardest loss to comprehend is for my grandchildren – Elsie, who remembers Papa although only 2 at the time; and Graeme, only 6 months – who will never know his wonderful father, except for the abundant stories and pictures of Martin with him and their family – and my own, lesser loss is mitigated by the opportunity from afar to help Graeme and Elsie know their Papa.
My heart is with this family… a tragic loss never to be forgotten.
I am an NP, and her story and countless others feeling grief will be held in our hearts. 900,000 deaths, that touches so many.
Thank you for the article. I belong to the Facebook support groups that Pam set up. I became a widow on 12/6/2020. My husband was 51 years young. He was in perfect health, fit, active and truly the best person. We were together for over 30 years and have three children. They were 25, 21 and 15 years old when Rick died. Rick and I followed all of the rules to stay healthy, but somehow he got it. He became symptomatic on November 11th, admitted to the hospital on November 17th, ventilated on November 20th, and passed on December 6th. As you can imagine, those were the absolute worst days of our lives. We could not be with him. We FaceTimed him everyday even though he was sedated. We watched the strongest man we knew and loved, die a horrible, painful, lonely death. Rick’s parents lost their only son. His sister lost her only sibling. Rick’s co-workers, peers and friends, mourn Rick. I lost my true love. My soul mate. My other half. It’s so hard to live without half of your soul. And, our children, lost so much more. Our daughter, who’s now 16, will miss out on her dad watching her at cheer competitions, helping her with math homework, walking her down the aisle, and so, so much more. When our son turned 21 years old, his dad was too sick to talk to him. He sent him a text, and was ventilated early the next morning. Our oldest so moved back home from Prague. He was making a great life for himself. He needed to be with us and we needed him. My point is, Rick’s death has ripple effects which continue everyday. I grieve for him. He fought like hell. He did not want to die. I grieve for his family, my family, his friends, our children and for myself.
My heart goes out to all those left behind from a covid death. It’s incomprehensible to me how so many people can be and remain so willfully ignorant about this issue.
Pamela Swan Addison... and others who have lost loved ones... Thank you for sharing your story. As Dan Rather says in "Steady" "It is up to us to raise up our voices to drown out those who will sow hate. We can demonstrate that from the soil of heartbreak we can cultivate flowers of hope and remembrance." My heart breaks for you and your children. I believe we can win out over those who sow hate.
Covid touches all of us in one way or another. It is unfortunate it has to be politicized. I lost my best friend of 22+ years Thanksgiving night 2022. Her cause of death was not Covid but it sure was Covid that killed her. She laid in her bed at home refusing to go to the dr/hospital for treatment for fear she might get Covid. So while she didn’t actually die of it, it killed her…. She remained shut in her home since Covid hit the United States ordering everything she needed from the internet. I’m sure she isn’t the only one like this. I wonder how many have died the way she has…. Afraid to seek medical attention for fear of catching Covid….dying alone. I also am aghast at the toll Covid is taking on the families who want and need to be with their loved ones who are dying…we are taking the dignity out of dying… taking closure away from family by not allowing family to be with their loved one.
Sending so much love to Pamela, her children and anyone who has lost a loved one to Covid.
I lost a Healthcare Hero Husband to the Hepatitis C epidemic acquired on the job before there were treatments. I lost a brother, immersed in conservative CoVid media and unwilling to get a vaccine, even though he was vaccinated for everything else. Had my husband not died before CoVid, he might have been able to get through to my brother. I honor them both. I believe we have to stand up and halt the intentional misinformation about viruses, freedom, public health and pandemics. We should have learned from history here. Science and History.