Covid 19 has turned Suzy and John O’Kane’s lives upside down for the time being.
My grandparents were enjoying their annual month-long vacation in Cancun, Mexico when Covid-19 instantaneously made itself known throughout the world. They are both in the high risk category for this virus, so we’re beginning to worry. They were faced with a hard choice of whether to stay in their favorite place on earth but risk not getting the best care if they got the virus, or to go home through the crowded and dangerous airports and then be quarantined in their house.
“All the staff knows and loves us in Cancun, it’s like home,” said Suzy O’Kane. “They always try to make our trip extra special which is why it was so sad when we had to cut it short.”
They live in Seattle which has been a Covid hotspot for some time now. This caused them to lean towards staying in Mexico for another two weeks, since Mexico had very little cases at the time. With a lot of counsel from John O’Kane MD, their son, they decided it was safest to come home, especially since the borders would most likely be closed. They came home from their trip early, only to discover what we all have come to realize – life has not been easy as their routines have been completely halted.
“My typical day consists of going to play golf and going to the grocery store,” said John O’Kane. “But now that I can’t do any of that I find it hard to get outside the house beyond just going for walks.”
John and Suzy are both retired and spend their time hanging out with friends and family, going golfing, cooking, etc. Not only has Covid taken away these daily activities, but also stopped their cherished traditions.
Every Sunday night, their family gathered at their house for dinner. They love these dinners because they enjoy cooking food, almost as much as they love the quality time they get to spend with their family. Now with the fear of spreading the disease to one another, this tradition is no longer an option.
All this down time is leading to lots of time on the internet which is instilling fear into Suzy.
“I can’t stop reading the newspapers and online articles,” she said. “I am terrified to leave my house.”
This is an incredibly hard time for everyone and is only made worse by the media.
Suzy loves to stay on top of what’s going on, but all the real and fake news is driving her crazy. Even though she still enjoys walks around the neighborhood, she is a very active and social person so quarantine is having a big impact on her life.
John and Suzy can’t wait for the day that this virus stops affecting everyone’s lives so that they and everyone else can get back to doing what they love.