I took this picture outside of Memorial Regional Hospital. On this day, I had taken my mom to this hospital thinking she had the coronavirus. She was experiencing pneumonia but no fever. It was such a scary day since this was the first month of the virus spreading around, and people were in panic mode. She could barely breathe, and she said her lungs felt like collapsing. I’ve noticed no one outside the tent was even social distancing since they didn’t know much about the virus.

People from the military came over to the hospital to check the status of how things were being handled in the tent. It’s my guess that’s the reason why they were there. I took this photo of them heading to the tent outside the hospital since no one was allowed to go in the building. One of the nurses was able to bring my mother inside the hospital to put her in an isolated room, just in case she was positive with COVID-19.

My mother was there for almost one week, and finally she tested negative for the virus. What a sign of relief it was for me. I could never imagine going through these scary times and thinking of losing my mother. I was very concerned and told her how much I love her! I was still outside waiting since I couldn’t go in there with her. My anxiety was through the roof.

After a week or so of her being there, she was feeling a little better and was released home. I picked her up and hugged her so tight, but even having her home, I still needed to be wearing a mask around her. This pandemic has taught me a lesson that we need to love our loved ones more and not to be selfish.

Sometimes I can’t believe how naive some people can be about this virus and think it won’t get to them. I wear my mask wherever I go. I’d rather be safe than sorry! A reminder to people, life is precious! We are not here forever. Take care of your loved ones! This virus has taken many lives. Be safe rather than sorry!

My kids are now home schooling, and we are keeping social distance. I am not playing Russian roulette with our lives. When this pandemic started, I made a lot of masks and donated them to hospitals, clinics, and to family members. I wanted everyone to be safe. I hope this pandemic is over soon. We need normal lives again, but I know it won’t be anytime soon. Be safe and stay safe, especially for those with health issues.