Son unable to see dying parents
Self-isolation prevents Ottawa man from caring for his father
As confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada continue to increase, the need and demand for testing kits grows as well. But the tight supply of available tests is causing some Canadians to feel like they’re being left behind.
Craig Conoley, a 37-yearold Ottawa filmmaker, has been the caretaker for his ailing father Rodney, 63, for several years — and was even scheduled to donate an organ to his father.
When Craig Conoley began showing flu-like symptoms, a potential sign of a COVID19 infection, he sought a test, worrying that the infection could spread to Rodney as well.
He went to the new COVID-19 assessment centre at Brewer Park Arena in Ottawa, but Conoley said he was told he didn’t fit the proper criteria to be tested, including the fact he had not traveled recently.
In an interview with CTV News, Dr. Andrew Willmore said not everybody who comes to the Brewer assessment centre will actually receive tests, and they were prioritizing “individuals of higher risk of contracting the coronavirus.”
Last week, Theresa Tam, the chief public health officer of Canada, said in a news conference that testing centres around Canada had to “be smart” about who they should assess with a COVID-19 test kit, given the growing demand and restricted supply.
But officials have also said new sources will be tapped to produce more critical health equipment.
Worrying that he could potentially infect his immunocompromised father — especially considering the virus could be infectious before symptoms even begin to appear — Conoley went into self-isolation in his home.
But that meant Rodney wouldn’t have access to his primary caregiver and Conoley couldn’t bring in any new people to care for his father for fear they might also infect him.
“I couldn’t provide care to him and no one else could, and I couldn’t do anything,” Conoley said.
While self-isolating, Rodney suffered complications and had to be sent to the hospital.
But since Conoley was showing symptoms, he hasn’t been able to visit him for more than a week.
Conoley is also unable to see his ailing mother, Bertha, who is in a long-term care facility for stage 4 glioblastoma, a cancer that begins within the brain.
“The hard part is I can’t visit my mother. She could pass. I can’t visit my father, he could pass. I’m in my house, by myself with my girlfriend, and we’re waiting for my father to die,” he said.
“I’m kind of stuck.”
Conoley said he believes transplant patients and other immunocompromised individuals are being overlooked.
The coronavirus could be devastating for them, but testing isn’t immediately available.
“Everyone’s talking about job protection and no one’s talking about the people who are really going to suffer,” Conoley said.
“And I worry that those people are going to be left behind.”
He said officials won’t confirm if their scheduled transplant will even move forward.
On March 17, the Ottawaregion hospitals released a joint statement saying they were postponing “non-urgent surgeries, procedures, and outpatient programming and clinics.”
They have also begun taking steps to restrict the number of visitors allowed in their facilities.
In an open letter to Ottawa’s elected officials, Conoley called for advance COVID-19 testing for primary care providers of vulnerable people, as well as those preparing and recovering from transplant procedures.
“I refuse to let my parents become victims,” he said.