In 2013,Mr& Mrs Cotant moved to Boynton Beach from Winters in Vermont. It was January 27,2020,that Pam’s husband transitioned. This has left an everlasting void in her life after 27 years of marriage.Pam says she has takes the COVID19 serious especiallu after watching the nightly news. She does not frequent any stores (shops on- line at Walmart).just the post office where I only drop letters.Late in the afternoons ,I spend time on my patio with a couple of friends.I keep myself occupied with Tai Chi (zooming through the Area Agency). In talking with my adult son, his friends have lost grandparents.And my neighbors have lost long time friends. She doesn’t take Trump seriously The election is not coming soon enough!! However, We must be mindful of always wearing a mask in public places as so many Asian countires have used this technique to keep the virus away. I am not scared ….Just be smart…don’t ignore it!
Who my story is about: --
God’s got my family back
Me,my mother, and brother been out of work for 4 weeks now. I am part timer so I don’t get any PTO. So we have been about how we’re going to pay our bills.
In search of
My entire way of life has changed. The way I live, the way I move around my community, what I wear when I go outside of my home, the way that I worship all has changed. I ask myself, what is this new normal and will I ever feel safe again? The only thing that I can come up with is uncertainty.
There is no number, this is a horrible, scary time.
I remain in my house and my daughter no longer goes to Daycare, the park or anywhere for the most part, she is 3 years old.
HOPE and BRAVERY
My Dad, at 86 years old, tested POSITIVE from the COVID-19 virus and had to be hospitalized for 13 days. Elderly people with the virus are more probable to die from the disease and he almost did. I tested POSITIVE as well and beat myself up for giving him the virus and praying for a healthy recovery. It turned out that I hadn’t given it to him, he had given it to me. So, that guilt faded. In the meantime, my Mother, Super Mom, slept next to my Father who had the virus, cleaned up our dirty dishes, came into my room and cared for me, who also had the virus, and continued to keep busy while waiting for her COVID-19 test results. She washed her car, cleaned the grout around the pool, ran a household…and tested NEGATIVE at 81 years old. Absolutely unbelievable. She quickly left the house with freedom. I don’t know where she went, but she was out of here! God Bless her! My Dad came home. He grew a beard. He was on no oxygen, no walker, With his Alzheimer’s, he was needy, confused and forgetful but he was all of those things before going into the hospital. I went into the bank and the teller somehow got privy that I had the virus and told me that I was not permitted inside the bank and had to leave and could not come back until testing NEGATIVE for 14 days. I was humiliated. I wouldn’t wish this horrendous virus n anyone and I support each and every individual who goes through this passage with hope and bravery and ultimately survives it like a hero.
My New Normal
This new normal has been somewhat difficult for me. I am a people person that always greeted everyone with a hug. I work with children and I always greeted them with a kiss and a big hug. When my children see me they come running with arms open wanting that hug and kiss. They dont understand social distances. Having to learn how to use Zoom, Google Classroom and Google Meets has been a challenge. I have gracefully accepted my new normal.
Living with the New Normal
I am working from home, which is a benefit. My children are learning digitally, which means that I have to also teach them academically. For my husband it gas changed his day to day and how he does things and being mindful those who are around him. We have a new normal. Lastly, no real social gathering and meeting with friends.
A New Beginning from The Seemingly End
My mom works in the medical/health field. She goes to private residences everyday and she was over on Palm Beach and she went to see a patient. There are different protocols for people with and without corona diagnosis. She was made aware that neither the patient of her husband had tested positive for it and that they only had pneumonia. She felt fine at first and didn’t think anything of it but the next morning we got a call informing us we were to remain in quarantine for 3 weeks and get tested twice as both the patient and her husband actually have corona. My mom ended up testing positive so I had to go remain in other housing until it is cleared up. As a student I do not have very much money so it has been very hard to manage the stress of 14 credit hours including Orgo 1 and 2, the cost of groceries, and the constant absence of toiletry items. I basically had to start all over.
#Dammit Man
Zuri and I were speaking to Shannon.(The man we have come to know as Dammit Man)As we sat and talked with him, he started to say non-sensible things to make us laugh, but he wouldnt do a proper survey. A few days later, I got a phone call from my neighbor the news that he had died. She said that Dammit Man had spat on the tall blind man not the short one and he smacked him in the head with his cane. I refused to believe her, due to the fact that I had just seen him not to long ago. The more days went by the more I started to believe that what she said was true, but one morning as I began to walk to the YEC I seen him walk walking slower than normal. He told me how he seen god in the hospital and that the world was flat.
#NEEDHELP
The way COVID-19 has impacted me is by not having needs or goods to feed my family.