Hope on the horizon for man who lost his grandfather early in pandemic
At some point soon, likely in mid- or late April, Joseph Hamed will see his mother again.
It has been more than a year since the two have seen each other in person, the longest they’ve ever been away from one another. They’ve been kept apart not by physical distance — the kind that can be circumvented with a flight between Pittsburgh and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — but by COVID-19, a disease that has affected and hurt their family in profound ways.
March 27 will mark the one-year anniversary of the death of Eugene Frank, Mr. Hamed’s maternal grandfather, from COVID-19 — the first such death in Lawrence County. Their lives would never be the same.
“The one thing it did was that it made it real,” said Mr. Hamed, of New Castle. “A lot of times, folks live through their television. They feel sort of detached from what’s actually going on out there. This hit home for us. When I saw how it affected my
grandfather, who had health issues as anyone who is 89 has, but he was still a robust man. He would cook dinner. He still drove. He took care of himself completely. To see it knock him out in a matter of 48 hours ... he went from having a dinner and a nice evening to two days later, he’s gone.
“That really hit home on how serious this condition canbe for people.”
The 11 months that have followed Mr. Frank’s death have been taxing, emotionally and mentally. Mr. Hamedand his relatives tried as best they could to cope in a
world so fundamentally skewed by a virus that took his grandfather’s life.
They stayed in constant contact on the phone and organized a couple of video calls. Mr. Hamed found solace in his work as a financial analyst for Allegheny Health Network. It kept him busy and distracted, giving him a sense of purpose at a time when he was confined to his home. When he started feeling down, he would do some work. Within that job, he found another community of support beyond his family, with co-workers reaching out to him after reading and seeing stories of his grandfather’s death.
“They really helped me get through my darkest days,” Mr.Hamed said.
An end is now mercifully in sight. A number of people in Mr. Hamed’s family, himself included, have been vaccinated. His mother is set to get her second shot next week, and from there, travel plans can begin. The members of the family who have been vaccinated have begun getting together in person in small groups. A close-knit group that was split by COVID-19 and all the fears it created — especially with many elderly people in the family, to say nothing of those with diabetes and asthma — is starting the processof once again being made whole.
In about a month, that will include his mother, a moment more than a year in the making.
“More than anything, it’s going to be sort of a sense of relief,” Mr. Hamed said. “I know she’s OK. I know she’s taking care of herself. I love my mom very much. It will be nice to physically see, ‘Yes, she’s doing all right.’ ”