Pandemic Loss

Excerpt

“Im sorry to have to tell you, but he expired this morning.” Though I was prepared for this, these words shook me to my core. Two weeks before, my father was a vibrant 75-year-old playing racquetball and tennis with his friends. He was the glue of our family and the most optimistic and kind person you could ever meet. Now he was gone, another statistic in the ongoing count of deaths attributed to COVID-19 and its complications. Grieving his sudden loss was difficult enough; doing so in a pandemic has been cruel and isolating. We mourned as a family on zoom but remained separated from each other, unable to hug our mother who was quarantined while also recovering from COVID-19. I stood next to my mother at the funeral, wearing an N-95 mask, face shield, gloves, and gown, just to be able to hold her hand and avoid her standing completely alone. …