I am so fortunate that I took a picture of him through his window...the day that he went into the hospital

My father was the first one to test positive for COVID-19 at his assisted living facility in Blaine.  He was 95 and 1/2 and immigrated from Europe with my mother in 1954. He was born in Poland and at one time was able to speak five languages!  

The staff and I were in disbelief at his diagnosis because they had taken strict precautions and were proud to say that for the first few weeks throughout March and mid-April no one at the facility tested positive for COVID-19. I don't know if I had the virus at the end of February or how he got the virus is a mystery. However, one evening in mid-April, the staff said dad was exhibiting pain and was admitted to Mercy Hospital in Anoka with a UTI. He also had a temperature and that's when dad tested positive for COVID-19. He remained at Mercy Hospital for about 2 weeks and I could not see him until his last three days. I could not imagine the fear and anxiety he must have gone through because I could not be with him and he saw nothing but strange people in masks and gowns. Dad could not communicate his needs due to Alzheimer's.  

My father passed away May 1, 2020, from a UTI and COVID-19 with underlying conditions from Alzheimer's. I am so fortunate that I took a picture of him through his window the afternoon of the day that he went into the hospital. He still knew me and was beckoning me to come inside and could not understand why I remained outside his room. I would go and see him every day and help him with meals and anything else that was going on. He was one of the longest living people at his assisted living facility--and thrived there almost 3 years. Thankfully I took the last picture of him inside his room after his lunch. I had that gift of being able to be with him his last three days. I insisted that I be there when the doctors knew he was going to pass. 

~ Daughter of a 95 ½-year-old man who had COVID-19 in an assisted living facility