We’ve all been inundated with the news, grim statistics, arguing politicians, heartbreaking stories, and stories that lift our spirits. As this virus takes hold of our lives, there is new information available every single day. We ride the information wave until we are overwhelmed and exhausted, and then we turn it off. Just like many people, that described my life currently and I’d gotten to the point of turning off the noise for a bit. I needed a mental break and out of the blue, that break came. My whole world hit pause last week; Babcia got sick.

Babcia has COPD and gets sick every spring and fall when the pollen swoops in to cover the land. She coughs until she’s exhausted, and it’s heart-wrenching to see her go through it. This year, she got a little more sick than usual. The cough came with a high fever and utter, total exhaustion. Thank goodness for my angel of a sister-in-law, who noticed something wasn’t right and immediately sprang to action. Babcia’s doctor wanted her to go to the hospital, so they did.

I wasn’t there, but the way it was told to me sounds surreal. Remember, no one is allowed in hospitals now except for the person who is sick. Babcia was whisked away into the recesses of the hospital while my sister-in-law had to wait outside and leave a phone number; eventually Babcia was admitted and suspected to have the Coronavirus. For almost a full day, I had no way to reach her… no room number, no telephone number to call, and she’d left her cell phone at home. (Who does that??) I quickly found myself doing something Babcia does twice a day every single day, I began to pray. I knew that all was in God’s hands, and I was falling apart thinking of her being all alone and not always understanding what is being said. I just wanted to be near her. I didn’t want to even consider the idea of losing her. Babcia was given the test for COVID-19, and then we had to wait.

Finally, we were given a room number and a telephone number to reach her. I was able to call her, and she sounded so exhausted on the phone, but still had her same old spirit. She told me how when she arrived they were “poking her”, and “peeping at her through a window”, and how she wanted to tell them to leave her alone. She told me how she’d scoped out a Polish doctor and talked to him about where they each were from. She said she knew he was Polish because his last name ended in ‘ski’. She told me about the wonderful nurses she had and how they were all so nice even though they had to wear plastic and masks when they came into her room. She complained about a few things, which I think she quite enjoys doing and it keeps her happy. I asked her if she’d been flirting and she replied, “Yeah… but no flowers yet.” (See the Babcia Gets Flowers post) When a nurse would come into her room, I overheard her calling them ‘honey’ and ‘sweetie’, and she sounded genuinely at ease which put me at ease as well.

We got the call Saturday that her test had come back negative for COVID-19. While she does still have pneumonia, she sounds a bit better. I always tell her that only the good die young and that she’s too mean to go yet, and she agrees with me. I’m thankful for all the prayers from friends and family, and all the phone calls to lift her spirits. Trust me, she will keep a written record of who called her. She writes down EVERYTHING. Don’t take it personally, she’s just collecting the data for later use. That’s why I’m calling every day. When she brings her list home and starts analyzing the data, I don’t want to be on it.

May you and your family stay safe and healthy always.

*Update – Babcia was allowed to go home to recover and is back to being full of you-know-what and vinegar.