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Massachusetts is now at 8,132 fatalities from COVID-19. Early on when so much reporting (including our own) focused on numbers!numbers!numbers!, we decided it was important to share some stories of the victims. @CarrieHealy2 took the lead, edited mostly by @heddahfeddah. 1/
Let's start with 57-year-old Mary Crimmins, who was always excited to turn another year older. "It was the biggest holiday of the year for her. She just loved it." 2/ https://www.nepr.net/post/mary-crimmins-57-savored-birthdays-and-cultivating-fashion-sense
Catherine Forrester was 90 years old. She came to Springfield from the South, raising four kids while working as a seamstress at Arrow Elastic. "She came here to be better — to do better." 3/ https://www.nepr.net/post/catherine-forrester-90-moved-springfield-area-60s-do-better
And Fran Slasinski, 78 years old, a retired mechanical engineer who loved fishing and married his high school sweetheart. "My dad and her would exchange paper airplanes over the fence." 4/ https://www.nepr.net/post/fran-slasinski-78-wooed-wife-flying-paper-airplanes-over-westfield-fence
Virginia Sullivan Finn died of COVID-19 at age 89. She loved M&Ms, and was "a pioneer in her life, speaking out for women within the Catholic Church who had no, to little voice." 5/ https://www.nepr.net/post/virginia-sullivan-finn-89-valued-faith-womens-voices
Weldon Long was 82 years of age, had been an infantryman in Korea, and one of 76 veterans who died @HolyokeSOHO testing positive for COVID. "You know, he had Alzheimer’s, but he was always very happy. Good last few years he had down there." 6/ https://www.nepr.net/post/veteran-weldon-long-82-loved-people
The death of Rana Zoe Mungin, highlighted racial inequities in treatment, and in life she called out inequities @UMassAmherst. "She was intimidated by the institution when she spoke out against it." Mungin was 30 years old. 7/ via @AldenBourne https://www.nepr.net/post/30-year-old-rana-zoe-mungin-teacher-and-former-umass-grad-student-dies-covid-19#stream/0
Many survivors still suffer. @kbrownreports profiled 3 people who want everyone to understand: “I'm really stunned and shocked that people are still not taking this seriously. If they could see what I was going through, they would wear two masks!” 8/ https://www.nepr.net/post/survivors-covid-19-share-their-ordeal-so-others-take-precautions-venturing-out
So whatever happens with the numbers, we're going to keep telling the stories behind them. Thanks to everyone who's agreed to talk about their pain and their grief. 9/end
