COVID-19 is indiscriminate—it matters not if one is young or old; it gives no regard to one’s background, job, family or socioeconomic status. Healthcare workers and residents/patients of healthcare facilities are particularly at risk. At West Oaks Nursing & Rehabilitation, our team members and residents have been experiencing the anxiety of COVID-19 together. And while we’re taking the necessary precautions to keep our residents and team members as safe as possible, we’ve not been immune to COVID-19 impacting our lives. We are in this together–this includes being ill together and recovering together. Our residents and team members continue to prove how strong they are each and every day by demonstrating strength, hope and perseverance.
Kellyne Holub (left) is more than a Medical Records Clerk for West Oaks. Every day, Kellyne leads the morning prayer for the community.
Now that Kellyne has beaten COVID-19, she’s returned to work and has resumed her role leading the morning prayer expressing gratitude now more than ever. Kellyne’s COVID journey has been a family affair as her husband also contracted the virus, and they recovered together.
Families are impacted in ways we couldn’t have imagined prior to COVID-19’s arrival. Take the story of CNA Demetria Hogan (right).
For Demetria, contracting COVID-19 was heartbreaking on multiple fronts. In addition to having to quarantine away from the residents she cares for at West Oaks, Demetria was separated from her one-year old daughter. Isolated from her daughter, Demetria focused on fighting COVID-19 so she could get back home to her family and return to work when it was safe for the residents and fellow team members at West Oaks.
Now that she’s recovered and is back at work, Demetria is happy to be caring for her residents again. This battle also brought new perspective, and she isn’t passing up any opportunity to give her daughter the hugs!
It was the isolation while battling COVID-19 that proved to be the hardest struggle for Freddie Mathews (left).
Contracting COVID-19 meant the affable West Oaks’ resident had to cease all interactions with his fellow residents and community’s team members. The avid coffee drinker relishes the chance to socialize with people and having to be separated from other people was difficult for the self-avowed people-person.
Now that he’s recovered, Freddie is back to his coffee drinking, socializing ways and smiling with every cup he drinks bringing sunshine to all he encounters.
These tales of recovery are just a handful of the amazing stories happening in communities across Texas and the world. We know there continues to be anxiety related to the pandemic. But our God is good—all the time, and we will get through this together…Touchstone Strong.
