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Couldn’t sleep so I went for a walk downtown tonight. Lucky’s and Wiley’s were full. Pave was out the door.
And I am livid.
Minnehaha’s COVID-19 numbers are rising again.
WHAT HAVE PEOPLE NOT LEARNED YET? Do you need a reminder?? Do you need to read the obituaries again??
And I am livid.
Minnehaha’s COVID-19 numbers are rising again.
WHAT HAVE PEOPLE NOT LEARNED YET? Do you need a reminder?? Do you need to read the obituaries again??
Mari Hofer was only 51. She’s my mom’s age.
I sat on the phone for two hours as her best friend talked in circles of grief. All I could do was listen.
I cried with her husband as he told me he prayed for her to live as she drew her last breath. https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/crime/2020/04/01/mari-hofer-covid-19-coronavirus-huron-south-dakota/5107195002/
I sat on the phone for two hours as her best friend talked in circles of grief. All I could do was listen.
I cried with her husband as he told me he prayed for her to live as she drew her last breath. https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/crime/2020/04/01/mari-hofer-covid-19-coronavirus-huron-south-dakota/5107195002/
Augustín Rodriguez’s wife raged on the phone. She screamed and sobbed. It was all in Spanish. I couldn’t understand a word. But I understood her anguish.
Her husband was stolen from her because someone else came to work at Smithfield Foods sick. https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/crime/2020/04/15/smithfield-foods-sioux-falls-sd-worker-dies-coronavirus-hot-spot/2994502001/
Her husband was stolen from her because someone else came to work at Smithfield Foods sick. https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/crime/2020/04/15/smithfield-foods-sioux-falls-sd-worker-dies-coronavirus-hot-spot/2994502001/
Th Smart family tore me apart. They shared their last memories with their wife/mother/grandmother — their goodbyes, their fears.
The only reason they let me intrude on their grief was because they had a message to share: https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2020/05/07/darleen-smart-sioux-falls-coronavirus-death-touchmark-covid-19/5179146002/
The only reason they let me intrude on their grief was because they had a message to share: https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2020/05/07/darleen-smart-sioux-falls-coronavirus-death-touchmark-covid-19/5179146002/
“Stare hard, study this photo. This is what I want you to see when you start to tire of the safety precautions. When you get sick of that mask or those gloves, remember this photo." https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2020/05/07/darleen-smart-sioux-falls-coronavirus-death-touchmark-covid-19/5179146002/
You see the numbers climbing again. You see deaths increase.
Not as many people read the daily COVID-19 number roundups anymore though. More deaths? Old people? That’s normal now. Old news.
But behind each number is a name. And a life. And a family. https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2020/05/21/sioux-falls-covid-19-remembering-victims-good-samaritan-village/5215288002/
Not as many people read the daily COVID-19 number roundups anymore though. More deaths? Old people? That’s normal now. Old news.
But behind each number is a name. And a life. And a family. https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2020/05/21/sioux-falls-covid-19-remembering-victims-good-samaritan-village/5215288002/
And even then. These people at bars are in their 20s and 30s.
You are not invincible.
A 23-year-old mother of three died. It was just a few days after I turned 24. She was all I could think about for a week. https://www.keloland.com/news/healthbeat/coronavirus/young-huron-mother-died-of-covid-19-most-cases-of-virus-in-state-among-those-under-40/
You are not invincible.
A 23-year-old mother of three died. It was just a few days after I turned 24. She was all I could think about for a week. https://www.keloland.com/news/healthbeat/coronavirus/young-huron-mother-died-of-covid-19-most-cases-of-virus-in-state-among-those-under-40/
Your Saturday night out is not more important than these lives.
Your birthday. Your bachelorette party. Your graduation party.
The pandemic is an inconvenience. But it’s temporary.
These deaths? The effects from hospitalization? They’re permanent.
Your birthday. Your bachelorette party. Your graduation party.
The pandemic is an inconvenience. But it’s temporary.
These deaths? The effects from hospitalization? They’re permanent.
You go downtown. You catch the coronavirus. It spreads to your roommate. Might spread to some friends you had over. Coworkers. They spread it to others.
Maybe a CNA at a nursing home. A teacher. A coach. Maybe to someone who is high risk.
Maybe a CNA at a nursing home. A teacher. A coach. Maybe to someone who is high risk.
I want the people at the bars tonight to sit on the phone with these families.
Hear them cry. Hear them ask why. Over & over again.
I could never give an answer.
I want them to sit & think about how their actions lead to more deaths. It spreads.
It’s not just a night out.
Hear them cry. Hear them ask why. Over & over again.
I could never give an answer.
I want them to sit & think about how their actions lead to more deaths. It spreads.
It’s not just a night out.
