‘We’re relying on you’
For one B.C. family, social distancing could be a matter of life or death
VANCOUVER— An 81-year-old mother, a partner awaiting a kidney transplant, a healthy and gregarious nine-year-old. These are the loved ones Sylvia Fuller is determined to protect from the novel coronavirus.
She and her family have been hunkered down in their Burnaby home, just outside of Vancouver, for more than a week. Even in B.C., one of the provinces hit hardest by COVID-19, with more than 300 cases, Fuller and her family were one of the first to go into self-isolation — because for them it could be a matter of life or death.
For her son, Eamon, it means his usual one-hour limit on screen time has been thrown out the window. But it’s not all good news for Eamon. It also means not being able to see his friends, except for rare one-onone play dates outside where his mother watches him and his friend “like a hawk” to ensure they practise social distancing — staying two-metres away from each other.
For her mother, Marianne, it means no more impromptu chats with strangers she bumps into out walking her dog. She’s hard of hearing and finds it difficult to have conversations without leaning in to hear.
Marianne lives in a separate suite, downstairs from the family, and Fuller said they all try to practise social distancing even with her.
“No hugs, which is hard,” Fuller said.
For her partner, Michael Coyle, it means nervously waiting to see if his kidney transplant surgery will still go ahead in June. The B.C. government cancelled all scheduled surgeries this week to free up hospital resources.
His kidneys are failing and soon he’ll need to start dialysis. But if dialysis machines are taken up by COVID-19 patients, he might not receive the treatment he needs.
Worse, Fuller fears what would happen if Canada is unable to “flatten the curve” and the COVID-19 pandemic overwhelms the health-care system.
“If we get to an Italy situation, he won’t be one of the people who get a respirator,” she said, referring to the Italian doctors who are turning away people with complicated health needs to save those more likely to survive.
The University of British Columbia sociology professor, who never struggled with anxiety before, now finds herself short of breath or trying to calm her racing heart every day.
Eamon has had a particularly difficult time adjusting, she said. The uncharacteristically sunny days in Vancouver of late mean the outdoor-loving, gregarious boy has had trouble being cooped up inside.
She does acknowledge her family is fortunate in so many ways — they can afford to pay a premium for grocery delivery, Fuller’s job is safe, and they have a home to hunker down in until it is safe to go out.
A week into their family’s new routine, Fuller and Coyle sat their son down for a talk.
This was a sacrifice they were making not only for his father and his grandmother, they explained, but for everyone.
“We talked about how … we all have opportunity to be heroes,” Fuller said. “That really resonated with him.”
She has a simple message for Canadians who aren’t grasping the seriousness of the situation: “We’re relying on you.”