For years,
I’ve been traveling to Oahu, Hawaii to visit and help my elderly parents. Dad
was in a nursing home for four years. In
September, I moved Mom into Assisted Living. Dad died in November and I went
back the next day to be with Mom. My husband, son and daughter flew to Hawaii with
me in December for Dad’s funeral.
My
brother lives on Maui and has serious health issues that keep him from traveling
to visit Mom. My sister died five years ago. Her widower, my brother in law
Bruce, helps out with Mom. At the funeral, I promised Mom that I would be back
in February or March to take care of her taxes and work on settling Dad’s
estate.
I made
appointments with Mom’s doctor, dentist, lawyer, and tax preparer. But the
timing for the trip was locked in by a phone call meeting with
Social Security on March 10th.
Mom wears hearing aids, has minimal
technical skills, and gets flustered easily when asked for passwords and pin
numbers, her children's birth dates, etc. standard security questions now days. I wanted to be there for the social security phone call along with a phone call to a credit card company. They would not let
me pay off Dad’s credit card saying that Mom had to do it because she is on the
account, not me, even though I have power of attorney for both of them. I
complained to that company and social security that flying to Hawaii so that my
mother and I could be on the same phone call was awfully expensive. They didn’t
believe that there was nobody else to help Mom. They countered that I could do
a 3-way call, but my mother can’t deal with that. They wanted her email. She
doesn’t have a computer (because again, she can’t handle it). Companies need to
realize that some customers just aren’t plugged into technology and at 86 years old don't want to learn to be. What was the protocol
before computers? What good is all the security when the customer can’t get in,
but hackers can?
Fortunately, years before all this,
my parents had set up who would handle their legal affairs. My sister was the
first in line. I was second. So, in dealing with these companies, I had to send
them copies of my parents’ trust, my power of attorney, and a copy of my sister’s death certificate
so that their lawyers could review everything before I was allowed access to do anything.
When my father was sent to a nursing home because of his advanced dementia, Mom and I added me to her bank accounts so that I could help her pay bills. Dad had handled their finances. He knew how to email. Mom used the computer to play video games. Handling the death of a parent must be an overwhelming mess for people whose parents didn’t have the foresight or time to set things up.
When my father was sent to a nursing home because of his advanced dementia, Mom and I added me to her bank accounts so that I could help her pay bills. Dad had handled their finances. He knew how to email. Mom used the computer to play video games. Handling the death of a parent must be an overwhelming mess for people whose parents didn’t have the foresight or time to set things up.
For my March trip, I had planned to stay with my brother-in-law Bruce, who now lives in Mom and Dad’s
house. A week before I left, he texted that he had a cold. I’m a
germaphobe, so I made arrangements to stay at a nearby B&B where I’ve
stayed many times. My usual germaphobia was fueled further by the fact that at
this point, it’s dangerous, possibly deadly if Mom gets sick. She is 86-years-old and has underlying health
issues. Fortunately, Bruce started avoided her as soon as he realized he was
sick.
When I
booked my flight, the corona virus was only in China. Since then, the first US
cases had shown up, and they were in Washington. My son Johnny was concerned
about me traveling. Honolulu, along with Seattle, and Los Angeles was one of
the airports that flights from China to the US were funneled through.
Tourism is Hawaii’s main source of income. In January, 852,037 visitors flew to Hawaii. 575,464 were domestic visitors. 277,573 were international visitors. Even though there were no reported cases of COVID-19 in Hawaii, I was nervous. Hopefully I could get in and out of Hawaii before the corona virus reached pandemic status.
Tourism is Hawaii’s main source of income. In January, 852,037 visitors flew to Hawaii. 575,464 were domestic visitors. 277,573 were international visitors. Even though there were no reported cases of COVID-19 in Hawaii, I was nervous. Hopefully I could get in and out of Hawaii before the corona virus reached pandemic status.
I topped
off supplies at home for John before I left. I avoided Costco and Wal-Mart since
that’s where everybody else was going (with their germs). Instead I went to my
regular grocery store and picked up a few things. I usually keep our house well
stocked, so all I added were things we were a little low on: tissue, Airborne,
ibuprofen, Spam, a 20 pound bag of rice, a 25 pound bag of dog food, canned dog
food, and canned cat food. We already
had a freezer full of salmon and halibut from John’s last Alaska fishing trip,
and even though I don’t like fish, if things got desperate, that tune would
change. There were also frozen pot pies
and various frozen vegetables in the freezer.
On February 29, the first death
reported in the United States was in Kirkland, Washington, 42 miles north of where
I live. When I flew out of Washington the next day, Sunday March 1, there were 6 known
cases, and 1 death. Most were at Kirkland’s Life Center nursing home in King
County.
Seattle is in King County. It’s where daughter Sarah lives, and where she and Johnny work. John and I live in Puyallup, Pierce County to the south of King County. Johnny lives in Everett, Snohomish County.
Seattle is in King County. It’s where daughter Sarah lives, and where she and Johnny work. John and I live in Puyallup, Pierce County to the south of King County. Johnny lives in Everett, Snohomish County.
Sunday, March 1 I’ve been flying back and forth to
Hawaii so much that along with mileage points, I have a regular routine. I keep
a binder with my parents’ information, shorts and t-shirts, and travel items in
a bin to pack for each trip. This time I included a couple of rolls of toilet
paper since Hawaii might have a shortage with people going nuts. (If I ran
out, I could always use banana or ti leafs, I joked with my family.)
When booking my flight, I always upgrade to an extra comfort seat. I try to sit in the window seat of an exit row, so there’s nobody sitting in front of me because I hate having someone recline onto my lap. I make sure my Beats headphones are charged because families with children also like to sit on the bulkhead and babies almost always cry on take-offs and landings because of the change of pressure which affects their ears.
When booking my flight, I always upgrade to an extra comfort seat. I try to sit in the window seat of an exit row, so there’s nobody sitting in front of me because I hate having someone recline onto my lap. I make sure my Beats headphones are charged because families with children also like to sit on the bulkhead and babies almost always cry on take-offs and landings because of the change of pressure which affects their ears.
I always wear a scarf for several
reasons. It provides extra warmth when the air conditioning gets too cold. I
can cover my nose when I’m stuck next to someone who hasn’t showered, brushed
their teeth or has gas. I can also to pull it up over my mouth so that if I
fall asleep with my mouth open, I’m not sucking in anyone else’s coughs or
sneezes. The air in planes is very dry. A scarf over my mouth and nose, helps
lessen dehydration.
For this trip, in addition to a scarf, I’d bought a face shield from SA Fishing that is usually used for fishing, skiing, or to block smoke particles during wild fires. It can’t block as much as a surgical mask, but I figured it would block a lot, and look stylish and less scary to kids all at the same time.
For this trip, in addition to a scarf, I’d bought a face shield from SA Fishing that is usually used for fishing, skiing, or to block smoke particles during wild fires. It can’t block as much as a surgical mask, but I figured it would block a lot, and look stylish and less scary to kids all at the same time.
Tucked into a pocket of my purse, I
also had a zip lock bag with some Clorox wipes that I use at home, and the bag
that my newspaper comes in to throw the disinfecting wipe away in afterwards. I
wiped down the latch on the overhead bin, my seat belt buckle, arm rests, tray
table, video screen and the handle on the window shade. The man sitting beside
me watched with interest. When I offered him a wipe he thanked me and wiped his
area down too. I settled in and enjoyed the flight. Those are my usual “airplane” sanitizing
methods.
Even though there were no reported
COVID-19 cases in Hawaii, with all the tourists coming from all over the world, I
added to my disinfecting routine when I landed. I wiped down the handles on my
suit cases and didn't touch the hand rails on the moving sidewalk. In the
rental car, I wiped down the key, interior door handles and the steering wheel
before driving off. At the little studio I was renting, I wiped down the light
switches, door knobs, microwave, and the remote. The last thing I wanted was to
get my mother sick, with COVID, or anything else. I was coming to help her!
That night and the next day, Mom
and I re-connected at The Plaza, her assisted living residence.
The Plaza at Kaneohe |
I showed her pictures from Sarah and Andy’s wedding that
was only a few weeks after my father’s funeral, as well as some of my quilts. She
was so happy to see them and eager to show them to the ladies she eats her
meals with. She tucked them into a small box that she carries her purse, small
notebook, pens and pencils, a sweater and other things in. She puts the box on
the seat of her rolling walker and takes it with her. Good idea!
I muscled her dresser away from the
wall to look for one of her hearing aids that she thought fell under it. It
wasn’t there. It was in her purse. I changed the batteries in her hearing aids
and encouraged her to ask the nurses to help her put her hearing aids in when
she struggles. When we went to the nurse’s station for Mom to get her insulin
shot and pills, the nurse commented that she was glad to see Mom wearing her
hearing aids and I confirmed with her that they would be happy to help Mom put
them in.
Afterwards, Mom and I went to my favorite
restaurant, Zippy’s. It’s a Hawaii chain of restaurants that started in 1966.
They have a take-out section, and some have dine-in areas.
Kaneohe Zippy's |
They specialize in
local comfort foods, like bento pacs of chicken, Spam, or seafood that you can take to
the beach, Zip min (saimin which is a noodle soup similar to ramen), Korean
fried chicken, chili, and an amazing bakery. Mom slurped won ton mein and I had
the fried noodles and one-scoop hot fudge sundaes for dessert.
Won ton mein |
Back at my studio, I turned the
news on. As much as I had resisted getting set up for the e-version of the Tacoma
News Tribune, I was very thankful I had done it anyway. Every day, I turned my
laptop on and read the online version of the paper to find out what was going
on back home. That night when I checked, another person in Washington had died
from corona virus.
Monday, March 2 I had
not scheduled any appointments for my first full day in Hawaii. That allowed me
to spend time with Mom and adjust. I started going through her mail.
We filled out a survey for The Plaza. Mom gave them the highest marks in almost everything. The only things she thought they could improve was that the food should be hotter when it’s served and she would like there to be salt and pepper shakers on the table. She also wants them to say in advance what movie will shown in the media room. She hasn’t taken any of the tours on their shuttle yet. She likes the group exercise classes and enjoys the occasional live music. Her favorite activity was when a group came in and did the Lion Dance to celebrate Chinese New Year.
We filled out a survey for The Plaza. Mom gave them the highest marks in almost everything. The only things she thought they could improve was that the food should be hotter when it’s served and she would like there to be salt and pepper shakers on the table. She also wants them to say in advance what movie will shown in the media room. She hasn’t taken any of the tours on their shuttle yet. She likes the group exercise classes and enjoys the occasional live music. Her favorite activity was when a group came in and did the Lion Dance to celebrate Chinese New Year.
Talked to Bruce and he still sounds
sick. He’s been sick for two weeks. When I booked the place I was staying, I
only reserved it through Wednesday because that was all that was open, and I
figured Bruce would be better by then. I was mistaken. I contacted my “land
lady” and asked if I could extend my stay until the 13th. She juggled some
guests around and made it work. I could stay there longer.
Washington
Covid-19 Report, March 2: The
coronavirus-related death count increased to six in Washington state. Seattle and King County reported 14 new
coronavirus cases, including five deaths. A student petition to close the
University of Washington drew thousands of signatures. *The Puyallup School
District closed two schools for deep cleaning, and two North Sound schools
closed. Two Kent schools announced Monday closures. (KIRO 7 News,
Seattle, WA)
*One of the two Puyallup schools closed for
extreme cleaning was my kids’ junior high school, within walking distance.
Tuesday, March 3 I took Mom to her doctor’s appointment at
Tripler Army Medical Center.
Part of the check-in routine was asking Mom if
she’d traveled anywhere out of the country lately. The receptionist smiled when
she said “No.” I could tell that she had anticipated that answer from my elderly
Mom who was wearing her signature lauhala hat with the yellow lei. But when I
interjected that I had, she paid attention. She asked where I had come from and
when. Her demeanor changed when I answered, “Washington state, two days ago.”
We were whisked past the crowded
waiting room, past the scale where they usually weigh Mom, and right into the doctor’s
room. The nurse asked if they had taken my temperature at the airport. No they
hadn’t.
Over the years, I’ve met with Mom and Dad’s doctors during their appointments. Mom’s checkup went well. Her underlying health issues were under control. To put my mind at ease, I asked the doctor to take my temperature. It was good, 98.1.
Over the years, I’ve met with Mom and Dad’s doctors during their appointments. Mom’s checkup went well. Her underlying health issues were under control. To put my mind at ease, I asked the doctor to take my temperature. It was good, 98.1.
Afterwards, we had lunch at Zippy’s on N. King Street in Kalihi. Neither of us had ever eaten in
that particular Zippy’s, but it was fairly close to Tripler. Kalihi is sort of
a rough neighborhood. That said, when we were walking into the restaurant, a tough-looking Polynesian girl who had just been swearing at her boyfriend in the parking lot, took one
look at me and my Hawaiian mom with her hat and rolling walker and she immediately
ran to open the door and hold it open for us. She smiled at Mom and said, “Here
Auntie, let me help you! Take your time!”
Fried noodles with a side slice of teriyaki |
As we ate our fried noodles, I asked Mom if we were
close to where her mother grew up. She said, “Yes, very close.” I knew that my grandmother
had been adopted by her grandparents and they lived in Kalihi. Mom told me that
N. King Street, the now four lane road we were looking at as we ate, is the
road that my great great grandmother used to drive down in a horse-drawn
carriage to take my grandmother to school at Sacred Hearts Academy in Kaimuki
every week day. It was a 6 mile drive one way with great, great grandma holding the reins. That was extra interesting to me
since my grandmother didn’t drive, yet her grandmother was driving her around
in a horse carriage. Mom also found that curious.
Mom said my great, great grandfather used to own an entire block there. We drove over to where their house had been. Now
there’s a gas station and some other houses there.
She pointed out where they
used to keep chickens. I asked her what he did that made him wealthy enough to
own that whole block. She didn’t remember, or maybe never knew. I’ll have to
look at census records to see what I can find, but I don’t even know if there
was a census in Hawaii since we were not a state back then.
When I
dropped Mom off at The Plaza that afternoon, they gave us a letter saying that
visitors from a Level 2 area with COVID-19 would not be allowed to enter. I
went online and checked, Washington was not a Level 2 area.
Washington
COVID-19 Report, March 3: The Washington state death toll increased
to nine. Life Care in Kirkland, was the epicenter of the outbreak. A new
coronavirus case in North Carolina was linked to King County after the person
visited Life Care. Seattle’s Homeland Security/immigration building closed
after concerns an employee was exposed to the coronavirus. That case was later
confirmed. Additional schools announced closures. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan
declared a state of emergency. (KIRO News 7, Seattle)
An Amazon worker tested positive. I
texted my kids and they assured me that they didn’t work in the building that
the infected worker was in.
Hawaii
State Department of Health COVID-19 Report: Currently, there are no cases
of COVID-19 identified in Hawai‘i. The DOH is actively preparing for possible
cases and working with state, county, and federal partners including the
medical community in Hawai‘i.
Wednesday, March 4 Mom and I met with her lawyer to update things
since my father’s death. I had my copy of Dad’s death certificate and the other
information that we needed for him to make the changes we wanted.
His office is on the 12th
floor. There is an upper level parking lot and normally I park there, then take
the escalator up 3 floors to the lobby on the 7th floor, and from there, take an elevator to the 12 floor.
The last time I did that with Mom,
she left her walker in the car. When she got on the escalator ahead of me, she fell
backwards, and somehow as she flew past me, I managed to grab her
forearm. She was lying down on her back with her head facing down, her hat
still on, calmly telling me she couldn’t stand up. I had yelled when it
happened and was holding on for dear life to my 130-pound mother with my left hand.
In my other arm, I held a binder full of papers, so I wasn’t holding the rail
and would’ve had to somehow put the binder down and try to lift my mother who
was behind me, up. I didn’t think I could do it before we reached the top. I
was going to have to hold on to her until we got to the top and hope that her
pants or worse her skin didn’t get caught where the steps of the escalator collapsed
and went down into that metal comb-like grate.
Then suddenly, a man, a hero, who
had been talking with a group of people at the bottom of the escalator ran up as
I held onto Mom. He grabbed her under her arms and managed to lift her up to a
standing position before we reached the top. She had scraped her elbow, but was
otherwise OK. We thanked that heroic stranger profusely and bandaged Mom up in
the lawyer’s office.
This time, despite Mom telling me
she’d just hang on to the escalator, I called ahead to find out where the
handi-cap accessible parking lot was. From there we'd catch an elevator, and then catch another elevator to the 12th floor. Other than being 15 minutes late from driving
around trying to find the correct parking lot, the meeting went smoothly. We
scheduled a second meeting to finalize the paper work that was being drawn up.
Without thinking, I shook our lawyer’s hand. He looked uncomfortable about that.
That night Johnny called to tell me
that Amazon had asked their corporate employees (45,000) to work from home if
possible. He didn’t want me to be worried when I heard about it. Sarah had
already been telecommuting. John a
professor at Washington State University had also been working from home when
able, but going in-person to previously scheduled meetings. As the director of
the Washington Stormwater Center, he was supposed to give a tour a group from The
Port of Seattle, but they canceled. I was relieved.
Washington
COVID-19 Report, March 4: The coronavirus death toll in Washington
state increased to 10. Most
employees at Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center in Seattle were told to stay
home all month for nonessential work. King County Executive Dow Constantine
recommended that pregnant people and people over 60 with underlying health
conditions avoid crowds. (KIRO 7 News, Seattle,WA)
Hawaii
State Department of Health COVID-19 Report: The CDC announced it is
investigating confirmed cases of COVID-19 linked to the Grand Princess cruise
ship which is returning to San Francisco. That cruise ship is different from
the Diamond Princess cruise ship. The Grand Princess had two passengers on a
cruise to Mexico from Feb. 11-21 who became sick and after deboarding in
California were confirmed for COVID-19. The same ship conducted a second cruise
from San Francisco and docked in Hawai‘i from Feb. 26-29. At this time, the CDC
has not identified a specific risk for Hawai‘i, and DOH will continue to work
with them to determine if there is any potential health threat.
Thursday, March 5 was dentist day. I walked Mom up the stairs and into
the dentist’s office to be prepped for a crown. It was supposed to be a 1-1/2
hour appointment, but it turned into 2-1/2 hours when he also filled a cavity. While she was at the dentist, I went back to
her apartment to go through her mail, and work on her insurance policies. I was
able to use The Plaza’s computer and printer to access my email and print out
papers that Mom needs to sign.
Talked to Bruce who went back to
his doctor again because it’s week two of his cold and he still feels bad. She
said it has turned into a sinus infection and prescribed antibiotics.
Usually, Mom and I eat out at our
favorite restaurants with Bruce, but since he’s sick, it’s just Mom and me.
There’s a neighborhood Chinese restaurant that we have eaten in for decades. It’s
where we held a large family meal after my father’s funeral. This time, we
avoided it. The reason the food there is so delicious and authentic, is because
their cooks come from China. Had they been in China recently to visit their
families for the lunar new year? I couldn’t risk it. We’ll be back once COVID-19
has run its course.
Mom ate breakfast and dinner at The
Plaza everyday. I ate lunch with her every day, usually picking something up at
a fast food drive-thru although we ate at Zippy’s a few more times. I was
trying to cut down on contact with other people.
Washington
COVID-19 Report, March 5: The death
toll increased to 11. A CenturyLink Field employee who worked the Feb. 2
Seattle Dragons game tested positive for the coronavirus. The total case number
increased to 70 statewide. That included 10 deaths from 51 cases in King
County; 18 cases and one death in Snohomish County; and one death in Grant
County. Snohomish County and Everett officials declared a state of emergency.
Copays and deductibles for coronavirus testing were waived by emergency order
in Washington state. Vice President Mike Pence landed in Washington and met
with Gov. Jay Inslee. Families of Life Care Center patients in Kirkland talked
about the deaths of their parents from the coronavirus and said staff members
were overwhelmed. Amazon employees in
Seattle and Bellevue whose jobs can be done remotely were advised to work from
home. Microsoft, Nordstrom and Starbucks corporate offices and Boeing also gave
the same advice to workers.
Hawaii
State Department of Health Covid-19 Report:
Hawai‘i Gov. David Ige issued an
emergency proclamation that allows the state to work quickly and efficiently to
prevent, contain and mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus or COVID-19,
and to provide disaster relief if necessary. Hawai‘i DOH expanded testing procedures according to CDC’s expanded
criteria for testing to include persons with symptoms who had traveled to areas
outside of China with known spread of COVID-19.
Friday, March 6 No
appointments today. I spent the day on the phone contacting insurance companies
and paying bills for Mom. We also did some banking. We checked her safe deposit
box to see if there were any life insurance policies in it, but there weren’t.
Washington COVID-19
Report, March 6: Emerald City Comicon, which brings tens of thousands
of visitors to Seattle and tens of millions of dollars to the local economy,
was postponed. The University of Washington announced classes would no
longer meet in person beginning the following Monday. Seattle University, Seattle Pacific
University and Bellevue College also announced classes would no longer meet in
person. *Pierce County health officials announced the first confirmed
coronavirus case there. Other large events locally and nationally were
canceled. Winter graduation at Western Washington University was canceled. The
Ida Culver House, in Seattle, also reported a positive coronavirus case. That
man, Kenneth Robert Hunt, 86, had underlying health issues and died March 9.
*The person was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in
Puyallup.
Hawaii State
Department of Health COVID-19 Report: First presumptive case of COVID-19 in
Hawaii. Patient believed to have caught it on the Grand Princess Cruise in
Mexico.
Saturday, March 7 Normally,
at The Plaza, all visitors have to sign in and out. Residents are also asked to
sign in and out.
Today the doors were locked and a notice was posted on the glass.
All visitors were now required to have their temperatures taken, no kids under
age 13 were allowed. I thought this was a good idea.
The young lady who checked
me in is one of my favorite people there. She grew up in Bellevue, WA and has
family in western Washington. My temperature was 98.1, so I was allowed in.
On my way to Mom’s I noticed the
Leonard’s bakery truck parked at Windward Mall. It’s not always there. Mom was
excited. We drove over and she waited in the car while I ordered a dozen piping
hot malasadas.
From there we went to Koolau
Farmers nursery to buy flowers for my sister Cynthia and Dad’s graves. Mom was happy
pushing her cart through the nursery. She has always loved gardening and bought
some plants for her apartment. From there, we went and visited Cynthia and
Dad’s graves.
Cynthia is in one section and Dad
is in the Veteran’s cemetery next door. There was no time for tears or a quiet
moment with Dad. When I parked, Mom started arguing with me about where his
grave was while I was gathering the flowers from the back of the car. I was
trying to save her from walking around needlessly. I finally gave up and let her wander around
the cemetery with her walker. Meanwhile an audience of people who were having a
picnic a few graves over offered their opinions of where his grave is. They had
no idea, why would they? They were just
being nosy and judgemental watching me shout to my deaf mother, and eventually corral
and lead her to where I said Dad’s grave was in the first place. We left Dad flowers,
a lei and malasadas, the same as we left for Cynthia marking the day she died five years ago.
Washington
COVID-19 Report, March 7: For the
first time since its start in 1972, the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Seattle and
Irish Week events were canceled. The Washington coronavirus death total
increased to 16, and there were at least 102 confirmed cases statewide. Starbucks
closed a downtown Seattle store after learning an employee was diagnosed with
the coronavirus. (KIRO 7 News, Seattle,
WA)
Sunday, March 8 My temperature was 98.5 when I went to pick
up Mom. We went shopping at Target for things that she needs. When I dropped
her off, I decided to take a bunch of her mail and a file with her tax papers
with me to sort through at my studio while I did laundry.
When I started contacting Social Security, credit card, and insurance companies, they all needed a certified copy of my father’s death certificate. That was OK because I’d ordered a lot of copies through the funeral home when Dad was buried. I had my copy, and the rest of them were in a file in Mom’s apartment.
When I started contacting Social Security, credit card, and insurance companies, they all needed a certified copy of my father’s death certificate. That was OK because I’d ordered a lot of copies through the funeral home when Dad was buried. I had my copy, and the rest of them were in a file in Mom’s apartment.
Today daylight savings kicked in so
now the time difference between Hawaii and Washington was three hours instead
of two. Dad always used to joke with me about the time change, “Oh no! Now we
are farther apart!”
Washington COVID-19 Report, March 8: A US
Department of Health and Human Services strike team started work at Life Care
Center, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in King County. Clark
County (southern most county in Wa) confirmed its first case of the coronavirus
after a man in his 70s tested positive for the virus. Inslee said Washington
officials were considering mandatory social distancing measures to combat the
coronavirus. The statewide totals increased to 123 people in eight Washington
state counties. Grant County (in the center of the state) reported its first
coronavirus death. King County announced two more coronavirus deaths. (KIRO 7
News, Seattle, WA)
Hawaii
State Department of Health COVID-19 Report: Second presumptive COVID-19
case on Oahu. The individual visited Washington state and felt ill on March 2.
He returned to Hawaii on March 4 on Hawaiian Airlines flight 22. (The flight I
took on March 1). He was hospitalized on March 7. There are now 75 people are
self-monitoring.
Monday, March 9 No
appointments for Mom. As I ate breakfast, an official from The Plaza called to
tell me that I was no longer allowed to visit Mom because I was from Washington
state. Mom could come out to the curb to meet me, but I could not enter the
building. I told her I understood their concerns and appreciate their
precautions. I was glad I’d taken what I had from her apartment. Unfortunately,
I hadn’t taken the certified copies of Dad’s death certificate.
At noon, I met with Mom’s financial
advisor. Stocks plunged 7% on Wall Street, triggering a 15-minute trading halt.
It was the Dow’s worst day since the 2008 recession. We went over Mom’s
accounts to see how they were affected and talked strategy.
After the meeting, I called Mom and
explained that I was not allowed into The Plaza until March 15th, but my flight
back was scheduled for the 13th. She was very upset. I asked her to
look for the copies of Dad’s death certificates and told her the two places
where I thought they were. She could bring them out to me later when I picked
her up at the curb. When I met her she said she couldn’t find them.
We went to Ross to buy her a
sweatshirt, and settled for a cardigan sweater instead.
Bruce called to tell me that he was
on his second round of antibiotics. He said that he asked his doctor if he
should be tested for COVID-19 and she said he didn’t fit the parameters to be
tested because he hadn’t traveled. (But, he caught this "cold" from his boss who had
traveled to Las Vegas.) I told him about the new safety measures in place at
The Plaza.
Since I couldn’t use The Plaza’s
computer or copier anymore, I wouldn’t be able to access some insurance papers emailed to me that Mom needed to sign. Driving back to the studio, Sarah called. I explained
my dilemma. She suggested I go to the library, but when she checked, they were
already closed and not open tomorrow. Then she said that if I went to UPS, I
could get online and print what I needed. She checked and they would be open
for a few more hours. I was so glad she called because I was exasperated. I
headed to UPS and took care of business.
Afterwards, I went to Target to get
a thermometer and more Airborne. Their shelves were empty. It was the same
story at Long’s drugstore, and Walgreens. I finally found some at Seven Eleven
where I had started buying The Honolulu Advertiser newspaper each morning.
Washington
COVID-19 Report, March 9: The statewide death toll increased to 22 deaths.
Jefferson County confirmed its first coronavirus case, which was a man who
visited Life Care Center in Kirkland and traveled back to Jefferson County (out
on the Olympic peninsula). The State Department warned about cruise ship
travel. The number of deaths linked to Life Care Center in Kirkland
increased to 19. University of Washington Medicine explained plans to let some
people be tested in their cars. (KIRO 7 News, Seattle, WA)
Hawaii
State Department of Health COVID-19 Report: Seniors are at a greater risk
for COVID-19, especially those who have underlying health conditions. Older
adults and individuals with underlying health issues should avoid non-essential
travel, including cruises. Avoid large crowds, wash your hands, and keep medications
and groceries on-hand.
Tuesday, March 10 Mom
stayed up until 2AM looking for the death certificates, but couldn’t find them.
I asked The Plaza if I could go in if my temperature was normal and I wore a
mask. They said no, but asked if I had an I-phone. I do and so does Mom. They could send someone up to Mom’s room and facetime me while they looked. Mom balked and said she didn’t want
anyone going through her papers. When I picked her up she brought a grocery bag
of files down on her rolling walker.
The initial plan was to have the Social
Security phone meeting with Mom in her apartment where she has a close
captioned phone that she can read the conversation on, but that was out since I was no longer allowed in the building. I took
her to my studio and waited for the call from Social Security with my phone on speaker. We got
everything taken care of, but they would need certified copies of Mom and Dad’s
marriage certificate and Dad’s death certificate. In one of the files that Mom
brought to me, she had their marriage certificate, but no death certificate.
The Social Security lady told me that if I didn’t get it to them within 30
days, we’d have to start the process over.
I went online to Hawaii State Vital Records to order certified copies of death certificates. It would take
4-6 weeks. I called John at home and asked him to check my files there. It was
a long shot, but maybe I had more copies that he could FedEx to me. We
facetimed so that Mom could see how that worked. He didn’t find any copies. Although
she liked watching my dogs and cat follow John around, Mom said she still
didn’t want anyone in her apartment looking through her files.
I can’t get into her apartment
until the 15th because the incubation period for COVID-19 is 14 days and I arrived
on the first. My temperature today was 97.3. I decided to extend my trip to
Wednesday the 18th. That way I would have time to get into her apartment to find
the death certificates on Sunday the 15th and then have Monday and
Tuesday to go to Social Security and also get her taxes together. I don’t want
to have to go home and then turn around to make another trip. Who knows what’s
going to happen with COVID-19?
Washington
COVID-19 Report, March 10: The new statewide coronavirus case number, as
reported by health officials, reached at least 269. There were two new deaths
reported in King County and 74 new cases there. The Snohomish Health District
reported 17 new coronavirus cases, bringing its total to 54. It also announced
a presumptive positive case at a Stanwood caregiving facility. There were
reports that Inslee would ban gatherings of 250 people or more. Amazon
announced a $5 million grant to help businesses impacted by the coronavirus.
Trevor Bedford, a computational biologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research
Center, and collaborators at the University of Washington and the Institute for
Disease Modeling were looking at the genome sequencing of 18 cases and the
infection rate in the recent Seattle Flu Study. Based on that data, they
believed there could be 1,100 active infections, Bedford told The Associated
Press. (KIRO News 7, Seattle, WA)
Wednesday, March 11 My
temperature is 97.3. Busy day. Mom had her second dentist appointment to have a
permanent crown put in along with a teeth cleaning. Then in the afternoon, we
went to the follow up appointment with her lawyer. She signed the paperwork and
everything is finalized. When we left, I told Mom that now we just needed to find an Indian chief since we'd seen a doctor, and a lawyer. She giggled at my little joke from the Tinker, Tailor counting game, "doctor, lawyer, Indian Chief."
Worked on moving my return flight to Washington from the 13th to the 18th. The news
says that Hawaiian Airlines is waiving change fees. That way I can get into
Mom’s apartment on Sunday. Johnny is not happy about that decision. He doesn’t
want me to get stuck in Hawaii.
I called Hawaiian Airlines and a
recording said that due to the high volume of calls there could possibly be an hour wait time
so I went online to change my flight. I also talked to my “land lady” and
asked for an extension. Luckily, nobody is booked for my studio for the extra
days so I can stay longer. I will call Enterprise tomorrow to extend my car
rental.
Mom fired up the people at The
Plaza about not letting me in. Her friends, who she eats all her meals with are
also angry about it. They always rally around my mother. In the interest of
stopping a revolt at The Plaza, and because I actually do believe this, I told
her that The Plaza was doing the right thing and explained what happened at the
Life Center nursing home near Seattle. Washington has the highest number of cases and deaths
from COVID-19 in the United States. They need to take this seriously. She was
still feisty because I don’t have a temperature, but I told her we would just have
to find a way to work around it because they were not going to change their
minds.
Washington
COVID-19 Report, March 11: The
World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. Inslee
banned gatherings of more than 250 people in King, Pierce and Snohomish
counties, including weddings. The NCAA announced March Madness games would be
played without fans. Seattle Public Schools announced a closure through the end
of March. Many school districts throughout western Washington are shutting
down. The Sounders postponed their March 21 match, and the Mariners were
working with Major League Baseball on how to handle games. The Woodland Park Zoo
closed for the month. The death toll rose to 31 deaths from 374 confirmed
cases statewide. That included 27 deaths from 235 cases in King County. Of
those deaths, at least 23 were linked to Life Care Center in Kirkland. The
Snohomish County toll increased to three deaths from 75 cases. The coronavirus
was known to have spread to 13 Washington counties. State health officials also
said 36 confirmed coronavirus cases were not yet assigned to a specific county.
Luise Weatherill, 85, is the first person officially announced as a coronavirus
victim by the King County medical examiner, though her death is not the first
from the coronavirus in King County. Weatherill was first identified by her
son, Mike, outside Life Care Center during the March 5 family briefing with
reporters. Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, announced they had the
coronavirus. President Trump announced Wednesday a 30-day travel ban on all
incoming travel from Europe, except for the U.K. The ban begins Friday. U.S.
citizens are exempt and will be directed to airports where screening can take
place. The NBA suspended games. On Wednesday, Sen. Maria Cantwell closed her
D.C. office after a staff member tested positive for the coronavirus. The
person has been in isolation since symptoms started. That person has not had
any known contact with the senator or other members of Congress. (KIRO 7 News, Seattle, WA)
Hawaii
Department of Health COVID-19 Report: The Department of Health (DOH) has
reached out to its federal partners regarding media reports of a Canadian
visitor who, upon return to Canada, was confirmed positive for COVID-19. DOH
has not received any information on this individual to this point. DOH has
temporarily suspended tours to Kalaupapa National Historical Park (Molokai) until
April 11, 2020 as a public health measure to protect the vulnerable population
of patients. The DOH is launching a statewide surveillance testing program to
identify cases of community spread of the coronavirus. This additional layer of
testing helps detect COVID-19 cases earlier so that appropriate steps can be
taken to contain the virus. About 200 COVID-19 tests will be conducted each
week under the program. Samples collected for influenza testing from patients
with respiratory symptoms will be randomly selected and also tested for
COVID-19. These samples are collected by healthcare providers in doctor’s
offices and other outpatient settings. The information will help responders
understand the scope if such a spread when it occurs.
Thursday, March 12 When I
woke up and turned the news on, I discovered that last night President Trump
banned all travel from Europe. Johnny texted me an article that said Trump is
considering stopping domestic travel from hotspots. Seattle has the most
COVID-19 cases in the US. Johnny was right to sound the alarm. For all I knew, maybe I wouldn’t be able to
get into The Plaza on Sunday anyway. I better stick with my original plan and
fly back tomorrow.
When I checked my email to get the
reservation code for my flight, there was an email alert telling me to call
Hawaiian Airlines because there was a problem with my reservation. I called and
got through the 5th time I dialed. After 45 minutes a customer
service person answered. I explained that I wanted to change my ticket back to
the original one I had and leave tomorrow. When she went to change it back, she
said it was weird, but my change to the 18th had not gone through.
The seat I’d selected was also still available.
I texted my land lady and told her
I’d changed plans yet again. She was very understanding and said it was no
problem. At least I hadn’t called Enterprise, so that was still OK.
Now my priority was to really push hard
and get as much done as I possibly could before I left. First I stopped at UPS
to make copies of the one death certificate I had. I planned on giving the
certified copy to Social Security since they had a 30 day time limit. I also
needed copies of what I was giving to my mother’s tax lady. Maybe she’d take
the “uncertified” photo copy of the death certificate. If not, I’d mail the
certified one to her when I got it.
I called the nursing home that my
father had been in to see if they could give me a copy of his medical expenses
to give to the tax lady. They said they could, but I could not go inside to
pick it up. They were admitting no visitors. Someone could come out to give it
to me. I asked if they could mail it to Mom’s tax lady along with a copy to me.
They said they would.
On my way to Hawaii Vital
Statistics in downtown Honolulu, Mom called and said she’d stayed up all night
and found five death certificates, (right where I told her they were). I told
her that was good and then explained that I’d changed my flight and was leaving
the next day. I could hear the surprise and disappointment in her voice. I
assured her that I’d pick her up for dinner so we could see each other before I
left.
Then I continued on my mission to
order more death certificates anyway, thinking at least I’d get a jump on the
4-6 weeks it would take to get them. Vital Statistics closed at 2:30 for some
strange reason. I was lucky to get the last parking space in the small parking lot, and lucky again when I found
out they’d print the death certificates for me right then and there. If I
hadn’t been born in Hawaii, I would have had to bring my birth certificate to
prove that I was related to Dad. Instead they looked me up in their database. The
next obstacle was that they only took cash, but I had enough on me. In addition
to the 15 certified death certificates, they printed out a certified copy of my
birth certificate.
Federal Building, Honolulu, Hawaii |
Next I went to Social Security in
the Federal Building, which closed at 3:30, another strange time I thought.
Again, I was lucky to get parking, this time on the street only a block away. In
a rare moment of comic relief, my phone rang as my purse went through the metal
detector. It was Sarah calling. Her ring tone is Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You
Are.” The security guards chuckled as Bruno (a local boy from Hawaii) belted
out "'Cause girl you’re amazing, just the way you are!” and I rolled my
eyes in embarrassment.
The Social Security lady that Mom
and I had spoken to on the phone, told me I could just drop off the death certificate and
marriage certificate and address it to her. At 2:45 I pulled a number from the
machine near the door and sat down to wait. Of course there was no option for
“drop paperwork off.” I fell in the “X” none of the above category. It wasn’t
crowded, yet a man with a mask on came and sat in the chair right next to me. I
stood up and moved to create social distancing. An hour later it was my turn. I
got everything straightened out and all necessary paperwork turned in.
Then I checked the hours of the tax
lady. Her website said they closed at 4:00. They were nearby, but it was
already 4:00. I’d have to mail it. I decided to call anyway to confirm when
they closed. I was lucky again! Since it’s tax season, they didn’t close until 5:00!
I found parking at her new office on the 15th floor of the down town Honolulu high rise, and
dropped off the bulging envelope of papers for Mom.
Miraculously, I had completed my
important errands. Mom had signed all the forms I could find for her and
authorized others over the phone. I have her revised Power of Attorney.
Hopefully, the rest can be done electronically, over the phone, or through the
mail. I picked Mom up for dinner and in
the car had her sign one last form that I could mail for her on my way to the
airport.
While we ate our steaming bowls Zip
Min, The Plaza called and said that as of tomorrow they would start limiting
visitors to one per day, per resident between the hours of 8-10am and 4-6pm.
All visitors will have their temperatures taken. Nobody under the age of 13
would be admitted. Mom and I skipped our usual hot fudge sundaes so that I
could go home and get packed.
At The Plaza they lock the doors at
7:00. We got there at 7:30 so we had to call someone to let her in. Mom thanked
me for all that I had done as I held her close in a hug. I told my favorite gal
who unlocked the door to keep Mom safe and she answered, “Of course!” I took a
deep breath and waved good-bye once Mom was inside. I don’t know when I will
see her again.
Washington
COVID-19 Report, March 12: The
statewide death count increased to 31 from 457 total cases. King County had 27
of those deaths from 270 cases. Gov. Jay Inslee said all schools in King,
Pierce and Snohomish counties would close through April 24. The NHL suspended
its season. Stock futures were halted for the second time this week. Princess
Cruises halted sailing for 60 days. The Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament was
canceled, and the NCAA championships also were canceled. President Trump said
restricting domestic travel to Washington state is a possibility, though it’s
not been discussed. The Washington Department of Corrections stopped visits and
limited events in prisons. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said all library
locations and community centers would be closed starting March 14 until at
least April 13. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife, Sophie
Trudeau, has tested positive for the new coronavirus. A University of
Washington graduate student tested positive for the coronavirus, according to
the UW Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases. The Space Needle
temporarily suspended its operations until March 31. (KIRO 7 News, Seattle, WA)
Hawaii
State Department of Health COVID-19 Report:
Grand Princess cruise ship:
To date, there have been 21 confirmed cases of
COVID-19 (19 crew members and 2 passengers) on the Grand Princess cruise ship
that made port calls to Nawiliwili Harbor, Kauai on Feb. 26, Honolulu Harbor on
Feb. 27, Lahaina, Maui on Feb. 28, and Hilo on Feb. 29. The Department of
Health is working closely with the CDC to notify any passengers in Hawaii and
trace all close contacts. The public is advised that exposure risk to tour
operators and other hospitality services who interact with visitors on cruises
is low.
Friday, March 13
My flight leaves at 1:15. I have my fingers
crossed that I make it out before they stop flights into Washington. Turned my
rental car in and caught the shuttle to the terminal. There were only four
other people on the shuttle. Usually there’s a very long line out on the
sidewalk along the curb waiting to get to security. There was no line at all. I’ve
never seen it this empty. Checked my bag at the curb and made it through TSA
pre-check quickly with minimal contact with anybody. Lots of people are wearing
masks, mostly Asians. I had my face shield, but didn’t pull it up until I was
on the plane because I was able to keep a reasonable distance away from people.
This feels like a bad science fiction movie, “Escape from Paradise!”
Walked out to the
terminal where my gate was and called family members to let them know I was
ready to head to Washington. It’s almost impossible to talk on the phone
because there are continuous loud announcements, even outside. Earlier in the
morning John had texted me a video of it snowing at my house. My weather app
said it would be 28 degrees when I landed. I had come over wearing a light
weight zip up sweatshirt so I asked him to bring one of my regular winter jackets
with him when he picked me up. Sarah had sent me an uplifting video of Italians
singing from their balconies while they were all in lockdown. Heart warming!
From Maui, my brother thanked me for taking care of Mom and handling Dad’s
estate. He told me he had an ample supply of the medications he’s on and sent
his love. Johnny was relieved that I was flying home. He had thought of Plan B
and C if I couldn’t get home. Plan B: fly to Portland or Plan C: fly to Boise and
rent a car to drive home or he’d come and get me. They all wished me safe
travels.
On the plane I went
through my sanitizing routine. Nobody was sitting beside me and nobody was in
the row across the aisle. There were a few people coughing every once in
awhile, but nobody near me. The flight attendants wore gloves when they served
food and as usual, were friendly and professional. The flight was smooth with
very little turbulence. I had my face shield up, and reading glasses on most of
the time and managed to sleep a little. We landed on time at 9:55 pm.
Buckled in and ready to fly home. |
As I walked up the
jetway from the plane into the terminal, a family with three boys younger than
5 years old wearing matching Pokemon jackets was ahead of me. Mom and Dad were
each carrying one. Mom told them firmly, “Do not touch ANYthing!” They obeyed. On
the train from the terminal to baggage claim, I noticed that only one person
was holding onto a pole. But, she was holding it with a napkin between her hand
and the pole. One tall, lanky man held on by wrapping his leg around a pole.
People were taking this seriously.
The airport was more empty than I've ever seen it when I return home on this flight. At baggage claim most of the passengers from my flight had clumped
up right where the bags come out. In my usual germophobic way, I was at the
other end of the oval. Nobody was within 10 feet of me when I wrestled my bag
off the carousel. I caught the elevator upstairs using my elbow to push the
buttons and waited curbside for John, shivering enough to zip my sweatshirt up
to the top, release my hair from a pony tail and pull my face shield up over my
head like a hood. It took only a few minutes for him to get to me. He said he’d
never seen so little traffic when picking me up. It was good to be home.
Laura Keolanui Stark is
at home watching the news and old movies on TV, utilizing her fabric stash to
quilt, and reading books from her extensive library. A long way from mastering
minimalism, she is thankful for her clutter. She and her husband are enjoying
the spring sunshine and cheerful blooming daffodils when they walk the dogs
through their neighborhood.