Our Story

Our Story

On May 1, 2020 my grandmother was having trouble breathing and the staff at the Amersterdam Nursing home in NYC had her transferred to the hospital. My grandmother tested positive for Covid and after one week of extreme suffering, she was died.

My grandmother was my best friend from the time I was born, until the day she died. My grandmother who I called Pita, since as a small child I could not pronounce abuelita, was my babysitter until about the age of 12 when the tables turned. Once my grandmother had her fist stroke, I was designated her caretaker since my mom had to work and her siblings did as well and for the most part, the didn’t live near by. From that point on, my grandmother, her care and her happiness became my responsibility and it was one that I took great pride in. Translating everything for her into spanish when at the hospital, making sure they understood what she was saying, taking order from doctors on how to care for her when we got home, it was all up to me, I love her and it was my purpose.

When my mother called to tell me that there was covid in the nursing home where she was and that Governor Quomo was sending covid positive patients back to the nursing home, I knew we has to get her out or it was just a matter of time before she caught it. I begged the staff at the nursing home to let her leave and I was met with threats that she would lose her bed there forever and that if I took her out and she caught covid, I would never forgive myself. I was told that they had the proper PPE and they assured me she would be fine. Did I agree no, but they managed to convince my grandmothers 8 children that she should stay.

Fast forward a few weeks, I received a call letting me know that she was positive and that she couldn’t breath. They were transfering her that night to the hospital. From that point on everything went down hill very quickly. My grandmother had dementia and she did not understand that she had to keep her oxygen mask on, so she kept taking it off. She also did not speak english and no one from my family, especially me, was there to translate for her. Thinking about the fear she must have felt when she was there, not knowing what was happening to her and why people were covered in PPE keeps me up at night. After her oxygen levels decreased, they gave her a feeding tube and started on Remdesevir that we were lucky enough to get for her.