Category: Public Health

Covid-19 Chicago Survivor speaks out: “Two months later, and I still feel unwell”

“It’s not something that anyone wants. I hope that everyone does everything they can to avoid getting sick or potentially getting someone else sick.

You just don’t know how it is going to impact you or how it is going to impact someone else that you might get sick.”

– Covid-19 Survivor, Cari Reed

The Covid-19 situation in Chicago

 The Merchandise Mart – Chicago, Illinois

Photo credit: ©Stock image – 1720288240 – Bret Habura

Chicago, Illinois – a city best known for their music festivals, gardens upon gardens to explore, vast amount of bike pathways to cycle, and an endless amount of sporting events to observe – has now dimmed their lights, because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Adapting to a less outdoorsy lifestyle in Chicago is what the residents of Chicago have been encouraged to do in order to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic – “Stay Home. Save Lives”. 

Chicago is home to over 2 million residents – and of these 2 million residents – more than half have tested positive for the Coronavirus, with more than 8,000 daily cases, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). 

As the Coronavirus cases continues to rise in Illinois, an Executive Order 2020-74 – also known as the Tier 3 Mitigations – has been imposed by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot  in all 11 regions of Illinois. The Executive Order became effective on November 20, 2020, it was re-issued on December 11, 2020, and was again re-issued through January 9, 2021. 

 

On the bright side though, despite cases being so high in Chicago, Illinois Department of Health reports, Chicago has a 98% recovery rate of the Coronavirus; on the other hand, there are still many who continue to experience the “after affects” of the virus. Cari Reed – Chicago Resident and Healthcare Administrator  – shares her experience of being diagnosed with the Coronavirus and how she continues to struggle with side effects two months later. 

Covid-19 Survivor shares her experience

Cari Reed with husband and son

Cari Reed – wife, mother, and Healthcare Administrator – began to experience Covid-19 symptoms on Friday, October 30th. She said, “I felt very rundown and I had a sore throat‘, so I decided to go to bed early thinking, ‘it must just be the week catching up to me'” – but then, by Saturday morning, she said she woke up feeling very unwell – ‘extremely fatigued, bad headaches, bone pain in my joints, very nauseous, and a sore throat’. On the other hand, she said, “I never experienced a few of the other “known” Covid symptoms – ‘a loss of taste or smell or came down with a fever”.

As Cari began to experience the other Covid related symptoms, she knew that she needed to isolate herself from her family – especially her husband, Rik. Cari said, “Rik is about a year-in-a-half out from having an organ transplant and he is currently on immune suppressants as advised by his doctors – which makes him immune compromised and more susceptible to the virus”.

As for Cari, she also has her own preexisting medical condition, Chronic Spontaneous Idiopathic Urticaria, which refers to the mass cells in her body, that is broken and she said she randomly has attacks that looks very similar to a severe allergic reaction – such as hives that covers her body, which results in swelling, and blocks her airways. Therefore, Cari said, her medical condition also makes her  immune comprised and more susceptible to the virus as well. 

When Cari started to experience the Covid symptoms, she immediately isolated herself in her bedroom and called her physician to see what she needed to do. Her doctor recommended, “wait three days from the start of the symptoms to see if the symptoms subside”. However, after the three days she still felt unwell, so she decided to drive herself to a testing centre – which was an outdoor facility. The Coronavirus outdoor testing facility used two nasal swabs – one for a rapid test and the other was a PCR test.

After Cari got tested, she said her doctor called her about two hours later and said, “your rapid test came back positive,” and then recommended for her to monitor her symptoms.

“By that point, I started having tightness in my chest, but I wasn’t having difficulty breathing. 

It just felt like I had a really bad chest cold.”

– Covid-19 Survivor, Cari Reed

Cari spent 10 days in bed. She said, ‘the fatigue had come at that point and I have never felt so unwell’. Even though Cari felt so fatigued, she said, “it was very difficult getting rest and actually falling sleep”. Additionally, during her first 10 days of isolation, her husband Rik brought her plates of food throughout the day, so that she could stay in her room. “Fortunately,” Cari said, “we have a Master Suite bathroom attached to our room, so I didn’t have to share a bathroom with my family members during this time.”

Cari Reed’s husband Rik brings her tea andtheir puppy as she isolates

When her husband Rik brought her a tray of food, Cari said, “I would crawl over to the door, sit on the floor while eating off the tray, and then get back into bed”. Furthermore, she said most days she was even too weak to stand in the shower.

“There was a point, probably around day 8 or 9, where I was feeling so terrible. The tightness in my chest was so bad that I was debating on whether or not I needed to go to the hospital. 

It’s a terribly scary thing to not be able to catch your breathe when you’re laying down and you’re not even moving or exercising. So yes – when you are just being still and you get that feeling, it’s pretty scary.”

– Covid-19 Survivor, Cari Reed

After about 11-12 days Cari said, “the sore throat, headaches, and body aches went away”; however, she still felt extremely fatigued, had a terrible cough, and an upset stomach. On the other hand, she said she was able to get up out of bed, brush her teeth, comb her hair, and was able to sit in a chair to watch some Netflix – that went on til about day 19 she said.

“You’ve probably heard of people who have had Coronavirus have brain fog, and that is very much the case. It’s very difficult to concentrate on things.

Just even watching something on TV, I would space out – just something as passive as that. 

I just had no ability to consontrate on things, I was feeling that badly.”

– Covid-19 Survivor, Cari Reed

Around day 19, she spoke with her doctor about whether or not it was safe for her to go out of her room and be around her family, because she was starting to feel better. He did believe that it was safe; however, she said, she waited about two more days before attempting to go out of her bedroom, just to be on the safe side.

“The very first thing I did was hug my husband and then walked outside to stand in the sunshine – and it felt amazing. The fresh air was amazing. The sun on my face just felt very healing.”

– Covid-19 Survivor, Cari Reed

Covid-19 Survivor Cari with husband Rik

Video featured below: Cari shares her journey with me and what she has experienced with the Coronavirus – from the onset go Covid symptoms, to having to self-isolate, and then eventually being diagnosed with the Coronavirus. Duration 9:21.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkD0djEalr0&feature=youtu.be

Cari admitted into hospital

Cari Reed admitted into hospital for Covid-19

After 19 days of recovering from the Coronavirus, Cari attempted to “go back to work” – working remotely. However, her co-workers questioned if she was well enough, because they could tell she was dragging and not quite herself. 

Cari said, “I was not great”, but she tried to just push through the grogginess that she was feeling. On the contrary, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Cari said she woke up having the severe Covid symptoms again. 

“I just felt really wiped out, I had shortness of breathe, and I got really winded – just doing simple things like getting off the couch to go across the kitchen to get a drink of water. I just felt so out of breathe.” 

– Covid-19 Survivor, Cari Reed

When Cari began to feel these all too familiar Covid symptoms again, she knew that she needed to go see a doctor, because she was worried that she could potentially risk getting her family members sick again – even though she had isolated herself well into the recommended time frame by her doctor – she still wanted to make sure there was no possibility of potentially infecting her family members again. 

So Cari went to see her doctor. He checked her lungs, which he said were clear. On the other hand, Cari said her doctors biggest concern was the possibility of her having blood clots. Cari had been laying down for a long period of time while she was in isolation, which puts her at risk for blood clots. Her doctor said, “it is a known factor with this  virus”. Contrarily, Cari said she was not experiencing the other symptoms that is typically associated with blood clots – such as swelling or running a fever. 

As Cari’s doctor was concerned about the possibility of blood clots, he told her it was best for her to go to the emergency room to get it checked out. 

“I have worked in Hospital Administration for over 15 years and I’ve never seen anything like this.

Emergency Rooms are normally pretty loud and hectic – but not this time – it was eerily silent. There was a lot of activity going on, but it was a very quiet and somber atmosphere. 

Everyone was completely guarded in PPE.

All the patients were in private bays.” 

– Covid-19 Survivor, Cari Reed

After she got examined by a doctor at the Emergency Room, they ruled out the possibility of her having a cardiac event or having blood clots; however, they did notice that she was very dehydrated, so Cari received some fluids through her IV’s, which made her feel much better.

Cari said, the hardest part about going to the hospital was that fact that she had to go alone. She said she felt very scared and thought, “if this is a clot, am I going to have to have surgery, what’s going to happen, and how long am I going to be here by myself?”

Video featured below: Cari’s shares more about her experience of being alone in hospital to find out whether or not she had a cardiac event or blood clots. Duration 5:55. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qbARbcDCFE&feature=youtu.be

Fortunately though, in order to help Cari deal with these nerve wracking feelings she was experiencing and not having her loved ones by her side – Cari did say that she was at least able to at least receive text messages and Facebook messages from her family members and Medical Colleagues, which was very comforting to her. But not only that, she also received a lot of support from the Frontline workers who were caring for her. 

“I wasn’t alone in the sense that I had so many wonderful and highly skilled very compassionate Care Givers around me.

They were just wonderful and compassionate. They knew I was scared, so they tried to give me reassurance along the way. As test results came back, they would come in, squeeze my foot, and tell me everything looked good on my cardiac tests and that my heart was okay. They would squeeze my toe again and run back out.” 

– Covid-19 Survivor, Cari Reed

By the end of the day that evening, Cari was able to go home after receiving her positive news about her test results and receiving the necessary fluids that she needed, because she was so dehydrated.

Video featured below: Cari shares more about her experience in hospital – what she saw, what the doctors did for her, and how much support she got from the Frontline workers. Duration 15:13.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-wv2ltiLUI

Cari continues to struggle & offers a message to those who are experiencing the same

It has been two months since Cari was diagnosed with the Coronavirus, and she is still experiencing ongoing side effects from the virus. Cari said, “my  stomach is still not well and my stamina is still not there”. 

Even though Cari’s stamina is still not at 100%, she has tried to push through in order to get back to where she used to be. Cari said, she is normally a very active person and typically stays in shape; however, after attempting to do a two block challenge, Cari said she was really dragging towards the end. 

After she pushed though this, she knew that she needed to be a little more slower and be more patient with herself. Her doctors said they are confident that she will get there, but also said it is just going to take time. 

As Cari has endured through such a traumatic experience, she offers a personal message to those who may be dealing with the same after effects of the Coronavirus:

“If you have a mild to moderate case, ‘time is like the tincture,’ like my physician told me. It can be scary. It can be lonely. But don’t break that isolation. You don’t want to get your loved ones sick.

You can get through it. It’s really hard, but you can get through it.

There’s no telling what’s on the other side. Some of us bounce back quick, some of us don’t. Just stay in touch with your physicians. Listen to the guidance of the experts. Where your mask. Stay away from gatherings of people. I don’t want anyone I care about to go through what I went through, it’s just not worth it.” 

Video featured below: Cari share more about the symptoms she is still experiencing, what she believes others should do in order to avoid the Coronavirus, and a personal message to those who are also battling the same after effects of the Coronavirus that she is experiencing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OD6akxaJp9U

Follow-up on Nurse Tayler: The struggles she faces as pandemic continues to get worse at the Navajo Nation Reservation

“I was at the point … GO-GO-GO. 

Just numb. 

You’re kind of set to thinking in disaster mode – ‘I have to do this’, running on adrenaline all the time – but then, after 6 months, the adrenaline starts to wear off, and you just get kind of tired of seeing death and suffering. 

It’s especially hard to deal with when you know, ‘there are so many things that can be done to prevent all that you are seeing and it’s just not happening.'”

-Tayler Oakes, Covid Care Force Nurse 

Update on Covid-19 Pandemic at the Navajo Nation Reservation

Above image: Provided by Nurse Taylor (taken in Arizona at the Navajo Nation Reservation)

According to the Indian Health Service, “the Navajo Nation Reservation is the largest Indian Reservation in the United States, comprising of about 16 million acres, or about 25,000 square miles” – stretched across three states – Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.”

Since the Coronavirus pandemic began, the Navajo Nation has been hit the hardest in America. The Navajo Nation Council released a statement, ‘the Navajo Reservation has reported over 18,000 Coronavirus cases’, with over ‘600 deaths since March‘. Furthermore, with considerations to the fact that the daily cases are high – 159 – and ICU beds have reached their  capacity, the Navajo Department of Health has put the Navajo Nation Reservation under a Stay at Home Order (December 2, 2020) for three weeks, which includes a 57-hour weekend lockdown order. 

With this in mind, I decided to do a follow-up story with Nurse Tayler Oakes, whom I spoke with four months ago – in August 2020. Furthermore, Nurse Tayler told me about what she was experiencing as she conducted Contact Tracing for the Coronavirus. As for this follow-up story, I wanted to find out if things have changed – good or bad – for the Navajo people or Diné as they prefer to be called. Diné means, ‘The People’ or ‘Children of the Holy People’.

Nurse Tayler fills a gap at the Navajo Nation Reservation

Featuring: Nurse Tayler Oakes at the Navajo Nation Reservation

Nurse Tayler is a Traveling Nurse. According to nurse.org, a Traveling Nurse is a ‘registered nurse who works in short-term roles at hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities around the world and fills gaps in areas where there are nursing shortages‘. Moreover, Nurse Tayler was sent to the Navajo Nation Reservation by Covid Care Force (a Non-Governmental Organization – NGO) to engage in Contact Tracing for the Coronavirus; however, these past few months she has also taken on several hospital shifts, because there was a great need for nursing staff within the Navajo Nation Hospitals. 

Nurse Tayler has been working at the Navajo Nation Reservation from the very beginning of the pandemic, in which she has yet to see any positive change occur for the Dine. 

“There still isn’t any work at the Reservation. 

The Navajo people have to work outside of the Reservation – so when the surrounding communities are not taking the pandemic seriously – it affects them.

They then go home to their multigenerational households, 9 – 10 family members living under one roof, including 92 – year – old Great Grandma.”

– Tayler Oakes, Covid Care Force Nurse

Multi-generational households are very common within the Navajo Nation Reservation – it’s a part of their culture – to preserve their history and heritage. And because there are so many people who live under one roof, it makes it nearly impossible to social distance in order to keep all family members safe. Because of this, it has caused the Covid cases to surge at the Reservation. Nurse Tayler said, things have not gotten any better since the last time we talked – four months ago.

Navajo Native American life on a reservation in Arizona

Photo credit: ©Stock image – 1745734673 – by DCSHUTT

“Unfortunately, things have gotten much worse.

The case load has increased significantly, so we are way busier than we were back in August. 

Our case load – for the past five days – has beaten our record of new cases consistently – everyday – for the last five days. 

I think last week, the Navajo Nation had 900 new cases.” 

– Tayler Oakes, Covid Care Force Nurse

Nurse Tayler said, in spite of the Daily New Cases, the death toll has not gone down at all. Additionally, she said, there is not any new treatments readily available in order to prevent further deaths. 

“All of the medical knowledge they have come up with, all of these new discoveries of great drugs – it doesn’t really mean a lot if the drugs are not accessible. 

And it really doesn’t mean anything if there is no rooms available in the hospitals in order to treat the patients – which, we are running into a lack of resources here, so it only goes so far.” 

-Tayler Oakes, Covid Care Force Nurse

As hospital beds fill up, and rooms become unavailable for patients who are needing treatment, Nurse Tayler said, ‘hospital beds are becoming a scarce resource nowadays’. 

“Honestly, a nurse takes care of more patients than they are suppose to. ICU goes beyond their limits. Hospitals go beyond their limits. And that’s what’s happening.

Hospitals across the country have put out statements that they are soon going to have to start turning patients away – which is really scary.

I mean this is America – in 2020 – and to think about the concept of hospitals turning patients away is insane, but I do think we are heading towards that point.”

– Tayler Oakes, Covid Care Force Nurse

One of the biggest resources that the Navajo Nation is struggling with is a lack of resources for the communities. Nurse Tayler said, ‘I personally tried to get food for a patient today and then was told, ‘we are out, we don’t have any, sorry’ – so that’s an issue’. She also said, it has been nearly impossible to keep up with Contact Tracing.

“At our height over the summer, we had about 20ish cases coming in a day – but now, on Friday, we had about 67 cases that day. So we are constantly adding 40–50 cases a day and it’s nearly impossible to Contact Trace for that many people.”

-Tayler Oakes, Covid Care Force Nurse 

Nurse Tayler said, her team – Public Health Nursing – has expanded greatly, because it is now at a point of ‘all hands on deck’. Many Health Care Workers – from Nutrition, Pharmacy, and Physical Therapy are assisting in Contact Tracing. However, Nurse Tayler said, this doesn’t seem to be enough to keep up with Contact Tracing. 

“We’re kind of like the violin players on the Titanic – it’s going down, but we just keep playing.”

-Tayler Oakes, Covid Care Force Nurse

Video featured below: Nurse Tayler shares more with me about what has been going on since we talked four months ago, why they are still continuing to experience high numbers of the Coronavirus, Contact Tracing, and more about her and her Nursing team. Interview conducted on December 1, 2020. Duration 9:10. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-nIo1fIavM&t=2s

Featured photo above: Lower Antelope Canyon at the Navajo Nation, Arizona.                                               Photo Credit: ©Stock image – 789576565 – by Stephen Moehle

Nurse Tayler shares more: ‘Aid Presence in America’, ‘how she and her co-workers are dealing with their mental health amid pandemic’, and ‘how her family feels about her working in the Covid crisis’

Featuring: Nurse Tayler

According to the World Health Organization, the United States has surpassed 15 million Coronavirus cases, with over 243,000 new cases (updated December 13, 2020). As the pandemic continues to spiral out of control in the US, Nurse Tayler said, ‘there have been many Aid Organisations who have arrived on American soil in order to assist hospitals who are in need of help’.  

“When I got here in July, Doctors Without Borders – which is the most prestigious medical NGO in the world – they were here on the ground, which they’ve never deployed within the United States before this. 

I came here with Covid Care Force, so they still have a very big presence on the ground. Project Hope is another NGO that I have deployed to hurricanes before this, they also have a presence on the ground. 

So yes, there is definitely a big Aid presence on the ground, which I think is just mind boggling – to think – ‘I am in America, seeing the problems that I am seeing, and working side-by-side with with these Aid organisations. 

The last time I worked side-by-side with Doctors Without Borders was at a Refugee Camp in Greece, and now I’m doing it here – in rural Arizona. It’s just insane to me that this is really happening in America.” 

-Tayler Oakes, Covid Care Force Nurse

As you may imagine, Nurse Tayler – who is constantly working with Covid patients who are suffering and dying from the Coronavirus – she has been struggling with her mental health; however, she has been able to get assistance through Emotional PPE – which offers FREE Mental Health Services to Health Care workers who are serving on the Frontlines during the Pandemic.

Featuring: Tayler Oakes – Covid Care Force Nurse

“I was at the point … GO-GO-GO. 

Just numb. 

You’re kind of set to thinking in disaster mode – ‘I have to do this’, running on adrenaline all the time – but then, after 6 months, the adrenaline starts to wear off, and you just get kind of tired of seeing death and suffering. 

It’s especially hard to deal with when you know, ‘there are so many things that can be done to prevent all that you are seeing and it’s just not happening.'”

-Tayler Oakes, Covid Care Force Nurse 

As Nurse Tayler continues to work on the Frontlines of the Coronavirus pandemic, her family –  back in Tennessee – worry about her.

“It’s been a really hard year on my mom, because I spent most of this year in Covid, and then my mom actually had it.

So, I had to deal with that – but then, we lost two family members to Covid. So yeah, it’s impacted me on a personal level. 

And then to come to work to help other people mourn over the phone as their parents are dying or their loved ones dying – Covid is just a really awful thing.”

-Tayler Oakes, Covid Care Force Nurse

Video featured below: Nurse Tayler shares with me about other Aid organisations who are assisting with the pandemic in the United States, how she has been able to keep her Mental Health in check, and how her family has been feeling about her working in the environment she has been in. Interview conducted on December 1, 2020. Duration 6:47.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpTNIsa2hR4&feature=youtu.be

Above image: Community health care workers, frontline medical group, and patients illustrating teamwork as a group of doctors and nurses joining together as physicians unified for a patient care. Photo credit: ©Stock image – 1726021492 – by Lightspring

Nurse Tayler is hopeful about the future: ‘New President’ and ‘Covid Vaccine’

Democratic nominee Joe Biden made an abbreviated campaign visit to Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Friday, hours after he tested negative for the coronavirus in two separate tests. September 21,2020.

Photo credit: ©Stock image – 1834033945.

As a New Administration – the Biden Administration – is set to take office on January 20, 2021, I asked Nurse Tayler if she believes things might get better with a New Administration coming in. Nurse Tayler said, ‘she does believe things will get better once the Biden Administration takes over’. 

“The previous Administration didn’t really have a response, and their handling of it was – TO NOT. And I think the fact that the New Administration has a Covid Task Force, which is composed of Scientists, Immunologist, Infectious Disease Doctors, and nothing else – I think that alone is reassuring. 

So, I am very hopeful about this Administration; however, inauguration isn’t for another month and things are only getting SIGNIFICANTLY worse by the day.  

And it’s not just that things are getting worse, it’s the rate at which things are getting worse, which – I think – is really scary.”

-Tayler Oakes, Covid Care Force Nurse

At a news conference on December 8, 2020, President-elect Joe Biden said, during his first 100 days in office he will ‘urge Americans to wear face masks‘ and will implement ‘a mask mandate by signing an executive order, which requires Americans to wear a mask in federal buildings and during interstate travel on planes, trains, and buses‘. 

Along with the mask mandate, President-elect Joe Biden vows ‘to distribute 100m vaccines within his first 100 days in office‘ in his efforts to lead the country through the pandemic successfully. Nurse Tayler said she believes ‘not only having a new President in office could be a game changer for the Coronavirus pandemic’, but so can the vaccines, which are currently being rolled out.

The CDC (US Center for Disease Control Prevention) approved the Pfizer vaccine for American usage on December 13, 2020 and will begin distributing as early as Monday – December 14, 2020.

“This is the next step in our efforts to protect Americans, reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and help restore some normalcy to our lives and our country.”

-Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director

Photo credit: ©Stock image

Nurse Tayler said, she is ‘excited about the vaccine developments’ and ‘is planning on getting the vaccine as soon as it is available to her.

“I research it throughly – obsessively – even on my own free time.

I one-thousand percent believe that it is safe. I will be getting it as soon as its available. 

I have recommended it to everyone that I love, that I want them to get it as soon as its available, and I would recommend it to anyone else as well.” 

-Tayler Oakes, Covid Care Force Nurse 

Video featured below: Nurse Tayler shares her thoughts with me on the in-coming Biden Administration, the Vaccine(s), and what everyone should  expect moving forward. Interview conducted on December 1, 2020. Duration 11:14.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc1qMX1Xp9g&feature=youtu.be

Featured photo above: WE WILL WIN on coronavirus, covid-19 outbreak around the world. body health care. medical equipment. demand and supply. hope and solution. big change situation, protect yourself with mask. Photo credit: ©Stock image – 1687568470 – by HAKINMHAN

American couple change wedding plans amid Coronavirus pandemic

“Everyone was super supportive. 

I think most people were glad that we made this decision, because even though they had to change plans, it really was the safest option. 

So yeah, everybody was so supportive and awesome about our decision.”

– Sonya Kaminski 

The Coronavirus pandemic has made a great impact in 2020

The Coronavirus pandemic has greatly impacted important events for many all over the world. People have had to cancel and or reschedule important events – such as conferences, concerts, or even weddings. According to a HITCHED survey, “nine in ten couples – 90% – have chosen to postpone their wedding to next year – 2021, because they were concerned with how long the COVID-19 crisis was going to last”. 

Covid-19 weddings

©Stock image – 1682739619 – by Goodideas

As for American couple – Patrick and Sonya – they were planning their wedding for June 21, 2020, in which they too had to make the difficult decision to postpone their ‘Fairy Tale Wedding‘ to June 2021 due to the health risks that the pandemic had imposed on their wedding.

The American couple were of course disappointed that they had to make the decision to postpone their ‘Fairy Tale Wedding’. Patrick said, ‘that was the most difficult challenge, having to make the decision to postpone the wedding’. Additionally, Sonya said, ‘they knew it was an important decision to make, because they wanted to keep their wedding guests informed and allow them to make the necessary arrangements if needed’. 

“Just making that decision was really hard and stressful, because we wanted to make it early enough where we could give people a heads up – so if they needed to cancel flights or change hotels they could do that.

We didn’t want people scrambling last minute, but it was also like, ‘if we made the decision too early – maybe things would start getting better, maybe the number of cases in our area or Arkansas would start decreasing, and maybe we could have actually had the wedding if we waited a little longer’. 

So I think, choosing a deadline for a decision to postpone the wedding was really hard.” 

-Sonya Kaminiski

Patrick and Sonya – were – as I said, disappointed that they had to make the decision to postpone the wedding – besides, this has been something they have been anticipating for a while now – to become husband and wife.

Patrick and Sonya have been together for a while now – for 12 years. They said, ‘their love for one another has truly persevered through some of the most challenging circumstances; however, they have always stuck by each other’s side’. 

“We met at a White Water Rafting Company in 2008, where we both worked. 

I was working in the retail store and Patrick was a Raft Guide.

We met that summer, and have been together ever since.”

– Sonya Kaminski 

Video interview featured below: Patrick and Sonya share more of their story with me – how they met, how long they have been together, and when Patrick decided it was time to “pop the question”. Interview conducted on June 13, 2020. Duration 2:21. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyJylF4rJtI

As long as Patrick and Sonya have been together, they have always known that they wanted to make a lifelong commitment to one another – to get married; therefore, after moving from their home state – Tennessee – to Florida to begin their next chapter, Patrick decided it was time to “pop the question”.

“I guess I’ve known for a while now that I wanted to propose. 

We had been talking about it and we decided that we didn’t want to wait until after Sonya finishes her PhD, so we figured we would go ahead and get married.”

– Patrick Kaminiski 

When Patrick did “pop the question”, Sonya inevitably said ‘yes’, so they then began to plan their ‘Fairy Tale Wedding’ – with their family and friends – at a ‘Royal inspired’ Chapel – St. Catherines at Bell Gable, which is nestled at the foot of Ozark Mountains in Arkansas.

“St. Catherine’s at Bell Gable” by fayettevilleflyer is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Covid-19 pandemic change plans for American couple’s ‘Fairy Tale Wedding’

However, after having planned their ‘Fairy Tale Wedding‘, setting a date for June 21, 2020, and inviting +30 people from all over the US – and the UK – to their Arkansas wedding, the American couple made a difficult decision amid the Coronavirus pandemic – to postpone their ‘Fairy Tale Wedding’ to the following year of June 2021. 

The American couple made this decision based on the fact that the Coronavirus cases were only getting substantially worse everyday; therefore, moving their wedding to the following year was the best option for them, so that they could better their chances for their wedding guests to be present for their wedding day.

After they made this decision, Patrick and Sonya had to let their wedding guests know of their decision – to postpone their wedding to June 2021.

Even though this was a difficult decision for them to make, Patrick and Sonya said, ‘their wedding guests were actually happy about their decision to postpone the wedding’.

“Everyone was super supportive. 

I think most people were glad that we made this decision, because even though they had to change plans, it really was the safest option. 

So yeah, everybody was so supportive and awesome about our decision.”

– Sonya Kaminski 

On the other hand, even though Patrick and Sonya decided to reschedule their ‘Fairy Tale Wedding’ at the St. Catherine’s at Bell Gable Chapel for June 2021, they also made another decision – they wanted to go ahead and “tie the knot“. 

Furthermore, Patrick and Sonya did end up “tying the knot” on their ‘original planned wedding day’ of June 21, 2020 at Alligator Point Beach in Florida with just a few of their family members, a friend (the Maid of Honour), their Pastor (who married them), and of course their dog, Mr. Fraggles (the Best Man). 

Best Man: Mr. Fraggles (their dog)

Sonya said, Fraggles has been there from the very beginning of their relationship – for 12 years. She also said, Fraggle’s is and was just as much part of their big day as her and Patrick. Moreover, even though this was not their traditional planned wedding ceremony that they had hoped for, they still wanted to include the “normal wedding traditions”.

“We still wanted the smaller ceremony to include a lot of the things that I have always envisioned on my wedding day. 

So we’re still going to have a cake, it’s just smaller. We’re still going to have flowers, there’s just not going to be near as many of them. We’re still going to have a photographer, just not for the whole day.”

– Sonya Kaminski


The American couple said, the hardest part about making the decision – to plan for two weddings  – was the expense of it.

“We were definitely adding onto the wedding budget, because we already had the bigger wedding budgeted. 

So we talked about it and decided it was once in a lifetime thing.

So even though the Florida wedding was going to be smaller, I still wanted it to be documented. So we hired a photographer.”

– Sonya Kaminski 

The beach that Patrick and Sonya chose to ‘tie the knot’ was at Alligator Point. Sonya said, ‘This beach is generally not a busy beach’, so they were not concerned about crowds being near them or their guests during the ceremony – in which, they were able to keep their five wedding guests, as well as themselves, safe during these unprecedented times.

Slideshow video featured below: Sonya & Patrick’s wedding ceremony at Alligator Point Beach on June 20, 2020. Duration 1:35.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icJteKwg5aY&feature=youtu.be

The American couple were glad they made the decision to ‘tie the knot’ before their original planned ceremony with their family and friends; however, they did run into a few issues as they attempted to reschedule their Arkansas wedding. For the most part though, the American couple said, ‘their wedding vendors were very understanding and tried their best to accommodate their request to reschedule their ‘Fairy Tale Wedding’ at the St. Catherine’s at Bell Gable Chapel. 

“We ran into a couple of obstacles, but I think people were trying their best to be accommodating and to do the best they could for us. 

So we really appreciated that. 

I think we ended up with some good vendors.” 

– Sonya Kaminiski

Despite the difficulties that Patrick and Sonya faced of their wedding during the Coronavirus pandemic, the American couple offer a message of hope to those who are also planning a wedding: 

“When you plan a wedding, you plan down to the second of what is going to happen on that day – ‘here is where the people will stand, what everyone will wear, and what will the cake look like. 

You can think all you want that your plans will go perfectly.

But I think, if you stay positive – as you can – even though this is a really stressful and sad time, you’ll be able to get through it.

Your wedding might not look like you planned – I know ours won’t for both of our ceremony’s – but we are still going to make the best out of it and it’ll be a great day either way.”

– Sonya Kaminski 

Video interview featured below: Sonya and Patrick provide insight in their decision to postpone their wedding and also explain why they decided to go ahead and get married on the original planned wedding day. (Interview conducted on June 13, 2020.) Duration 12:05. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ffMW6VJ9fQ&t=2s

US Woman’s Collegiate Soccer Team undergo quarantine measures after Coronavirus outbreak on team: Soccer Player and Coach speak out

“Quarantine is kind of a grace period – to help make yourself better and to improve yourself – not only physically, but mentally as well. It can be lonely and scary for some and even though there is a lot of stress going on, you can still focus on the things you struggle with and work on the things you think you should improve on.”

– Freshman Soccer Player of Roanoke College, Hannah Shay

Collegiate Woman’s Soccer Team in Virginia experiences Coronavirus outbreak

According to the Virginia Department of Health, the State of Virginia has confirmed over 153,000 Coronavirus cases, which has resulted in over 3,000 deaths. Moreover, the State of Virginia reports 625 daily cases (cases that are reported in the last 24 hours – updated 6 October 2020).

With the continuous increase in Coronavirus cases in the State of Virginia, it has made measures extremely challenging for sports teams to resume practices and to participate in games, because of the social distancing measures that have been implemented amid the Covid-19 pandemic in order to keep sports teams and their players safe. 

With this in mind, I spoke with Roanoke College’s Freshman and Soccer Player Hannah Shay who shared with me how her university has implemented Covid-19 safety measures at her university in order to keep everyone safe.

Incoming Freshman Soccer Player of Roanoke College, Hannah Shay

“On campus everyone is suppose to wear a mask and we are suppose to social distance all the time. For example, in the dinning room its social distanced. Everywhere you gather in groups, you are suppose to social distance.”

– Freshman Soccer player of Roanoke College, Hannah Shay

©Stock image – 1753644356 – by what is my name

Shay said, because of this pandemic, it has made her first season as a new incoming Freshman at Roanoke College as a soccer player of the Maroons Team extremely challenging, because she and her teammates have already had to undergo quarantine measures due to the fact that a few of the girls on her soccer team had tested positive for the Coronavirus; therefore, all of the girls on her soccer team had to undergo quarantine measures. 

“We all went into quarantine on a Thursday night, because I was told that one of my teammates were in contact with someone who had tested positive for Covid and they said they were going to self-quarantine just to be on the safe side.

So then, we all went into quarantine Thursday night and then Friday morning I ended up calling Health Services and asked them how they wanted us to quarantine.

They told me that, because I wasn’t really in contact with anyone that they know of that tested positive , they didn’t see a need for me to self-quarantine.   

But then, I got an email in the middle of one of my classes that I had to go get a Covid test done and then I had to quarantine for 14 days.”

– Freshman Soccer Player of Roanoke College, Hannah Shay

Shay said, undergoing quarantine was hard for her, because she had to rely on other people to bring her meals to her and then her meals were left at her door, so that she would have no contact. With this in mind, Shay said that she does have an intolerance to gluten and how important it is for her to eat gluten-free meals. Shay did have an issue at one point with getting gluten-free meals, because she did receive a meal that was not gluten-free; however, once she contacted someone about this matter it was cleared up quickly.

Shay’s roommate was currently not on campus at the time; therefore, she told her roommate to just stay home until she was out of quarantine – for the 14 days of her quarantine. Shay said, she was able to keep her mental health at bay during her time of quarantine with consideration to the fact that this was the first time of living on her own, while having little to no interaction with others, besides FaceTime and Zoom calls. 

“I was definitely going stir crazy. Like I really wanted to go exercise. 

It was under my impression that we couldn’t leave our dorm. So I didn’t get outside air besides my window being open. 

Our coach said, “yeah you guys could have gone outside for a walk or a run” and I was like, ‘well dang, I would have done that every single day then, but I ended up watching Netflix and getting ahead on my homework as much as possible’.”

– Freshman Soccer Player of Roanoke College, Hannah Shay

Interview featured below: Soccer player Hannah Shay shares more with me about her story of having to undergo quarantine measures, because a few of the girls had tested positive for the Coronavirus and how it impacted her. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwH3TmjN5xM&feature=youtu.be

Soccer player Hannah Shay speaks out about how she and her teammates resume back to the “new normal” of their Freshman soccer practices

©Stock image – 1808071288 – by smshoot

As soccer player Hannah Shay and her teammates get back on the soccer field, they resumed to their “new normal” of soccer practices, which meant that they continued to implement Covid safety measures in order to best protect everyone on the team. Shay said, ‘it feels good to be back on the field after having to undergo quarantine measures.’

“It’s nice to be able to get out and stretch my legs, get in the goal, and finally get some shots on me instead of just having to run in all of the time.” 

– Freshman Soccer Player of Roanoke College, Hannah Shay

With consideration to the social distancing measures, which are being enforced in most countries amid the Coronavirus, Shay said that her Coach and the rest of the coaching staff have implemented Covid safety measures in order to keep her and her teammates safe. 

“So the entire school – all athletics – are actually in a phase opening.

For soccer, right now we are in phase one meaning we can use the ball, we can do drills, but whenever we get to practice we have cones that are about 6, 7-8 feet a part to the left and right of us and in front of us. 

So our coach tells us – ‘find a cone and leave on our mask until we are about to go out to do our warm up stretches’. Whenever we do our warm up stretches we take off our mask and stretch to the entire width of the field and then we warm up – so we are spaced out the entire time.”

– Freshman Soccer Player of Roanoke College, Hannah Shay

 

Shay also said, when they do practice, she and her teammates stay within the cones that the coaching staff have set out. If she or her teammates get too close, her coach has a hand signal that he uses to let them know they are too close during practice; whereby, the players quickly reposition themselves in order to social distance more. With consideration to Shay’s position on her soccer team as a Goal Keeper, she said the coaching staff have a rotation plan in place in order to keep her and the other two Goal Keepers at a safe distance.  

“I’m a Goal Keeper, so we’ve been doing shooting.

We have two goals down at one end. The Goal Keepers are pretty spaced out, so we rotate between the two goals between the three of us. So two people are in and one person is out and that one person is easily 6 feet a part from the other Goal Keeper, if not more. 

And then after practice – we cool down and stretch, masks go on as we change while we take off our cleats, put on our sneakers, and stuff like that.” 

– Freshman Soccer Player of Roanoke College, Hannah Shay

Shay said, with considerations to the pandemic, the athletic staff had to switch athletic seasons around; furthermore, this meant instead of Shay’s Soccer Team – the Maroons – playing in the Fall, they plan to play in the Spring instead. She also said, looking ahead to her soccer season when they do play soccer games, certain measures should be put in place in order to keep her and her teammates safe. 

“I’m not sure how safe it’s going to be unless everyone quarantines 7-14 days before a game, because I know the NFL, they are really focusing on keeping their players in quarantine and limiting the visitors that they see.”

– Freshman Soccer Player of Roanoke College, Hannah Shay

Shay said, she does has some expectations for her coaching staff and her teammates as her soccer practices and games progress moving forward and as the Coronavirus pandemic continues:

“I hope that everyone follows the rules – to social distance, wears their face mask, follows the CDC guidelines, and is cautious around other people.

We can’t help it if someone gets Covid at this point, because it is spreading so fast. All you can do is take care of yourself and take care of other’s around you.”

– Freshman Soccer Player of Virginia Roanoke College, Hannah Shay

Interview featured below: Soccer player Hannah Shay shares more with me about how she feels being back on the field, what safety measures have been put in place in order to keep her and her teammates safe during their practices and how she feels about her upcoming soccer season in the Spring.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkRBPAlAirY&feature=youtu.be

Head Coach Philip Benne explains what other safety measures have been implemented to keep ‘The Maroons’ safe amid the Coronavirus pandemic

Coach Philip Benne coaching the Maroon’s Soccer Team

Head Coach of Woman’s Roanoke College Soccer Team – Philip Benne – has been coaching for Roanoke Woman’s Soccer Team for 31 years and says this year has obviously been different compared to the other years he has coached; however, he said that he and his coaching staff have been able to implement a plan in order to best keep his soccer players safe at this time. 

“We are in pods of 10 where there is no intermingling. 

Each day, our soccer players have to do a self-assessment and send it to me. So every morning, they have to check off if they have any symptoms or if they have been in close proximity with someone who has tested positive with Covid and then they email me that daily checklist. We do this everyday and that also goes to our medical staff. If there are any red flags, the soccer player is pulled aside by the medical staff.” 

– Head Coach of the Woman’s Soccer Team of Roanoke College Philip Benne

As the Maroons engage in soccer practice at this time, Soccer Player Hannah Shay said, she and her teammates have had to constantly monitor their heart rates by checking their Fitbit’s or Apple Watches to ensure their heart rates stay at a steady pace. Furthermore, Coach Beene expanded on this and said, for those who have tested positive for the Coronavirus and have returned to soccer practices after recovering from Covid-19, they have to see a Cardiologist on a regular basis to make sure that their heart rate stays within a healthy zone to ensure they are healthy enough to practice and play soccer.

“Those who test positive meet with our doctor and our team physician. They have to get their heart checked out to make sure Covid did not have any effect on their heart. Once they pass that, then they can rejoin the team.”

– Head Coach of the Woman’s Soccer Team of Roanoke College Philip Benne

As hygiene is extremely essential during the Coronavirus pandemic, Coach Benne said, ‘every player has to bring their own water bottle and if the players need more water, the coaching staff will bring out water stations that are consistently cleaned to ensure their safety’. Coach Benne also said, he  understands how important it is to keep the field and the equipment clean in order to ensure that he, his coaching staff, and his soccer players are kept safe.

Cleaning soccer ball

©Stock image – 1744128575 – by Mungkhood Studio

“We clean the balls after every practice. Also, the players are not using their hands at all, except the Goalies, and they have gloves on.

We have designed our practices to minimise contact, so that they do not throw the ball in. We have not done that all year.”

– Head Coach of the Woman’s Soccer Team of Roanoke College Philip Benne

In spite of how difficult this year has been for Coach Benne, his coaching staff, and his players,  he said that he is quite pleased with how well his players have abided by the safety measures that he and his coaching staff have put in place in order to keep his players safe at this time. Coach Benne offers a message of hope to those who are engaging in sporting activities at this time:

“It’s going to get better everyday. 

Our goal is to hopefully have games in the Spring. I know a lot of the clubs have started to play games, so we are getting back there, but it’s going to take some time. 

Everyone hang in there and let’s just hope it gets better everyday.” 

– Head Coach of the Woman’s Soccer Team of Roanoke College, Philip Benne

Interview featured below: Coach Philip Benne shares with me how he and his coaching staff have been able to cope with the Coronavirus pandemic and what safety measures have been implemented to ensure that his soccer team – The Maroons – stays safe amid the Coronavirus pandemic. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6mLbJ-Szz8&feature=youtu.be

Covid-19 in Russia: Russian English School Administrator speaks out about online schooling measures

“It’s been quite difficult to solve some problems when you can’t be near the person. We have had to solve everything by talking to each other using the phone and that was really difficult. I am on my phone all day long – working.”
– Daria Lekhanova, English School Administrator based in Russia

Covid-19 in Russia

St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, Russia.

©Stock image – 524132788 – by dimbar76

The Coronavirus pandemic has impacted countries all over the world. according to the World Health Organization over 28 million people all over the world have tested positive for the Coronavirus. Russia is currently the fourth leading country of having over one million confirmed cases, additionally over 5,000 cases have been reported in the last 24 hours (updated 14 September 2020). 

As these numbers of confirmed Coronavirus cases continue to increase, the World Health Organization has reported ‘over 165 countries are attempting to to develop a vaccine within a short time period in hopes to stop the spread of the Coronavirus with the support of COVAX  Market Advance Commitment (AMC)’. The AMC is designed to guarantee rapid, fair, and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for every country in the world – rich and poor – and to make rapid progress towards slowing the pandemic.  

The World Economic Forum has said, ‘in order to develop a vaccine, it typically can take more than 10 years to fully develop a vaccine’; however, amid these unprecedented times, many scientists are working hard to try to develop a vaccine in a much less shorter time – less than a year.

Russia is in stage 3 of the Covid-19 vaccine
The Covid-19 Coronavirus vaccine produced in Russia named Sputnik.

©Stock image – 1794129322 – By Yalcin Sonat

Russia is one of the countries who are undergoing trial phases of the Coronavirus vaccine. Russia has underwent two phases thus far and are planning for the third phase in October, which would include “40,000 volunteers from “different age groups and risk groups.”

The Coronavirus has not only impacted people’s health, but it has also impacted schools from functioning normally. I spoke with English School Administrator Daria Lakhanova, who told me about how Russia has been impacted since the Coronavirus outbreak.

“It’s been difficult – when we went on lockdown – it was very difficult to stay at home for more than two months. 

But when Summer came, it became easier, because the sun was shining, the weather was beautiful, and we were able to go outside.”

-Daria Lekhanova, English School Administrator based in Russia

Video featured below: A clip from my interview with Russian School Administrator Daria Lekhanova who spoke with me about how Russia has been impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic. Duration 1:40.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJlgLMLZ5kc&feature=youtu.be

COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, inscription COVID-19 on global satellite map. World economy hits by corona virus. Concept of travel, coronavirus, lockdown, crisis. Elements of image furnished by NASA. ©Stock image – 1660469317 – By Viacheslav Lopatin.

Online Schooling challenges

As many schools all over the world have had to administer online learning due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Russian English School Administrator Daria Lekhanova said, ‘her school implemented online learning measures back in March and will continue to do so. Some school officials have had issues with online learning; however, Daria said,  ‘it has not been that bad’; on the other hand, Daria did say that there were other issues – external factors – which have been the biggest issue while administrating online learning. 

“The only problem that occurred in the first place was technical problems, because not everyone had a computer at home or they had problems with downloading Zoom onto their phone.”

-Daria Lekhanova, English School Administrator based in Russia

Additionally, Daria said that it was most challenging to do online schooling, because her and her colleagues can’t see if the kids were doing their work or not when they should be; whereas, compared to when the kids are in a classroom setting, the teachers are able to keep an eye on them.

With regards to communicating with her colleagues, Daria said that Zoom has been a great asset in order to effectively communicate with one another; unfortunately, when problems do occur it can be quite time consuming to resolve these issues, because she is not able to handle the issue that is at hand in person. 

“It’s quite difficult to solve some problems when you can’t be near the person. We have had to solve everything by talking to each other on the phone and that was really difficult.

I am on my phone all day long – working. 

We have to call each other. People can’t just come to our office, so they have to send us messages, emails.

I have to have my phone with me at all times.”

-Daria Lekhanova, English School Administrator based in Russia

Even though Daria has had issues at times with others having problems with  internet connection and not being able to quickly solve issues that her colleagues have been experiencing, she has noticed that online learning – for kids – has been a bit more interesting compared to in-person learning.  It has enabled her  students to have unlimited resources by using the internet. 

“With studying online they can use lots of resources – websites, they can play games on the computer, watch videos, listen to  audio or even some music. “

-Daria Lekhanova, English School Administrator based in Russia

Video featured below: Russian English School Administrator Daria Lekhanova shared her experience with me of how she, her students, and her colleagues have been coping with online schooling measures during the pandemic. Duration 7:42.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaArHNMtR6A&feature=youtu.be

Online remote learning. School kids with computer having video conference chat with teacher and class group. Child studying from home. Homeschooling during quarantine and coronavirus outbreak. ©Stock image – 1707724354 – by FamVeld

What’s ahead for Private English School in Russia?

Daria said that she, her students, and her colleagues have been utilising online schooling measures since March and they plan to continue to do so. However, this has created problems for her school with regards to the fact that most students prefer to do in-person classes; therefore, Daria said that this has resulted in at least a 15% drop of students withdrawing from English classes. Moreover, she said, when school does resume in-person classes, the Covid-19 measures that have been put in place might make teaching English more challenging. 

“We will have to place desks 1.5 metres from each other.

Teacher’s may need to where masks during classes, but I think that’s strange – especially when you teach languages. You usually see the facial expressions while learning a language, because of the pronunciation.”

-Daria Lekhanova, English School Administrator based in Russia

Even though these measures may be difficult, English School Administrator Daria said that they do plan to abide by these rules in order to keep everyone safe when school does resume. Either way though, Daria is happy about doing online learning and how effective it has been during these unprecedented times. 

Video featured below: English School Administrator Daria Lekhanova interviews with me to tell me more about the online learning that has been implemented due to the Covid-19 pandemic and how her students have been coping. Duration 3:28.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXZx2YSENwQ&t=1s

Words: “back to school” made of wooden blocks on protective face masks. Inscription about school in a pandemic, epidemic.  ©Stock image – By Leila Alekto Photo

Covid-19 in Turkey: English Teacher says ‘kids will continue online learning through the rest of the year’

“So we decided to completely forego homework, because it’s already stressful enough having to deal with Coronavirus, staying inside, and being bored. We play a lot of online games and that’s how we learn English. We learn English through fun rather than – sit down, lecture, and do in-class work.”

– English Teacher, Kathleen Phelps

Covid-19 In Turkey​

Aerial view of the city downtown and skyscrapers.
Istanbul, Turkey. Aerial view of the city downtown and skyscrapers. Skyscrapers and modern office buildings at Levent District. With Bosphorus background. Photo credit: Resul Muslu

©Stock image – 1016497315 – Resul Muslu

Currently, Turkey is at high risk for the Coronavirus. The Center for Disease Control (CDC)  has placed Turkey at a level 3 Warning for the Coronavirus, which means the CDC recommends, ‘travellers to avoid all nonessential international travel to Turkey,’ because medical resources may be limited. If a traveler were to contract the Coronavirus while in Turkey, he or she may not be able to get the necessary treatment in order to get well. 

According to the World Health Organization, Turkey has reported over 267,000 Coronavirus cases. Additionally, in the last 24 hours, there have been 1,500 newly cases and 39 deaths (Coronavirus statistics updated 31 August 2020). 

As many schools have had to implement online schooling measures due to the Coronavirus pandemic, I reached out to English school Teacher Kathleen Phelps who works at Two Private English Schools – for kids and adults – based in Istanbul, Turkey. 

Ms. Phelps shared with with about what the people of Turkey have experienced since the initial outbreak of the Coronavirus and how the people of Turkey have handled the pandemic. 

“Overall, it shut us down for a good three months, until we started to open our doors and go outside.

Turks are very cautious with their health – it’s just a part of their culture.

So they’re still very cautious to get out, to get started, and that’s why school – we’re still not quite sure if it’ll resume.”

– English Teacher, Kathleen Phelps 

As many counties all over the world have decided to make it mandatory to wear face masks with hopes to overcome the pandemic, Ms. Phelps did say that Turkey has opted to adapt the law to make it mandatory for the people of Turkey to wear face masks. She said, the Turkey government has imposed a fine of ₺900 Lira ($122.36 USD or £91.84) to those who do not abide by this law.

Video featured below: English Teacher Katie Phelps shares more with me how the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the people in Turkey.  Interview conducted on 13 July 2020. Duration 1:01. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ar_Yd45DgI

Coronavirus 2019-nCov novel coronavirus concept. Microscope virus close up. 3d rendering. ©Stock image -1625951248 – by creativeneko

English Teacher speaks out about online schooling measures implemented at private school

School kids with computer having video conference chat with teacher and class group. Child studying from home. Homeschooling during quarantine and coronavirus outbreak.
Online remote learning. School kids with computer having video conference chat with teacher and class group. Child studying from home. Homeschooling during quarantine and coronavirus outbreak.

©Stock image – 1707724354 – by FamVeld

English Teacher Ms. Phelps, who teaches ages 7 to 11 years old at a private English school, has said that ‘her students are doing very well with online learning,’ and believes that her and her colleagues teaching methods during this pandemic has been effective.

“At my school, we decided to completely forego homework, because it’s already stressful enough having to deal with Coronavirus, staying inside, and being bored.

So, we decided to forego homework and we have really tried to make class more fun and enjoyable.”

– English Teacher, Kathleen Phelps 

As Ms. Phelps and her colleagues have tried to create a more fun and educational environment for their students while teaching online, this has included creating online games for their students as they learn English from home. 

“We play a lot of games and that’s how we learn English.

We learn English through fun rather than – sit down, lecture, and do in-class work.” 

-English Teacher, Kathleen Phelps 

Ms. Phelps said there are certain parts of Turkey that have had issues with the internet while either working or doing school from home. She said, for Eastern parts of Turkey the internet can be ‘touch and go’, but for the Western parts of Turkey – such as Istanbul where she is based – it is a more developed region and is more populous; therefore, the internet connection is not that as bad in Istanbul  Turkey. 

Additionally, Ms. Phelps said, “the Turkey government has been really good about providing the schools with the necessary tools to connect with their students.” However, she did say that even though the Turkey government has tried to ensure that the internet will not be problematic in order for people to work or do school from home, it has still been one of the biggest challenges at times. 

Video featured below: English Teacher Kathleen Phelps shares more with me about what measures have been implemented with online schooling at her private institute, if her students have had all of the resources they need in order to do online schooling from home, how she and her colleagues have been working together amid the pandemic, and what plans will be implemented when school does resume. Interview conducted on 13 July 2020. Duration 5:15. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nntuyfLWTvc&feature=youtu.be

Homeschool Asian little young girl student learning virtual internet online class from school teacher by remote meeting due to covid pandemic. Female teaching math by using headphone and whiteboard. ©Stock image – 1739402348 – by Hananeko_Studio

English Teacher Kathleen Phelps provides a message about online learning and a message to her students:

“Online education is not for everybody. It’s very hard to sit down and focus, looking at a computer for hours upon hours a day. This is natural – not everybody was built to do online, but we try to make it as fun and engaging as possible. 

I can’t wait to see my students in class again.”

– English Teacher, Kathleen Phelps 

Video featured below: English Teacher Kathleen Phelps shares more with me her thoughts on online learning and how much she misses her students.  Interview conducted on 13 July 2020. Duration 1:17.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p7EF6Q3UTY

Featured above: English Teacher Kathleen Phelps with student

US Texan Middle School Teacher says online schooling measures ‘have not been effective’ amid pandemic

“In Dallas schools, students have an entire week to turn in their assignments; however, 50% or less turn in their work, but most don’t turn in anything at all.” – Journalism & Social Studies Middle School Teacher Josh Ault

Texas: Covid-19 Hotspot

According to the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, Texas is the fourth leading state in the US who has over 530,000 confirmed Coronavirus cases. 

As these numbers continue to increase and taking into account that this has made it challenging for students to resume in-class learning, Texas’ schools have had to continue with online learning for the first few weeks for the Fall semester.

I spoke with Middle School Journalism & Social Studies Teacher Josh Ault who said, ‘it has been really crazy in the state of Texas’. Mr. Ault also said, the state of Texas has had to take serious measures in hopes to decrease the Coronavirus numbers.

“We were under the mandatory lockdown from when we left for Spring break, until just a few weeks ago – where they lifted the lockdown, so we can go back into restaurants and the gym.

However, there are still a lot of requirements. 

They just passed a couple weeks ago, masks have to be worn everywhere – at the grocery store, at the gym. 

So, that has caused a lot of people to be concerned.”

– Journalism & Social Studies Middle School Teacher, Josh Ault 

Video featured below: Teacher Josh Ault discussed with me how the pandemic has impacted the state of Texas as a whole and his School where he works at. Interview conducted on 17 July 2020. Duration 2:36.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_yJAccbvZo

Mr. Ault’s students struggle with online schooling measures

As school classroom seats remain empty in Mr. Ault’s classroom, Mr. Ault said it has been extremely tough on each child as they attempt to complete their assignments at home.

“I teach 12-14 year olds. They had a really hard time with online learning .

If you don’t have that one-on-one interaction where you are able to talk with them, it’s difficult. 

Zoom is okay, but it’s just not the same thing. You don’t know what the kid is doing on the other side.” 

– Journalism & Social Studies Middle School Teacher, Josh Ault

Mr. Ault said, the hardest part about online teaching has been the fact that it’s been extremely challenging to get students to submit their work in a timely manner. He said, as for the Dallas school systems, they made a requirement for all students to submit their work in a week’s time every week; however, students have not been submitting their assignments within this time frame. 

“I’ve had less than 50% of my students submit their work. 

Most of the time what they turned in wasn’t exactly what was asked of them to do. So if they aren’t applying themselves, reading, and watching the videos I would send them, then they just wouldn’t get it. 

So even giving them a week, a lot of them didn’t turn in the material that I gave to them. 

So, I really don’t think online schooling is effective.”

– Journalism & Social Studies Middle School Teacher, Josh Ault 

Fortunately though, all students at Mr. Ault’s school who did not have access to a computer at home were provided with one just before lockdown measures were implemented. Mr. Ault’s school received these computers through a grant, as well as other schools in Dallas, Texas.

However, even though the students have these resources, Mr. Ault said some students still struggled to submit their assignments on time, because some students just didn’t have enough parental supervision or some simply had internet connection issues at times. 

Moreover, Mr. Ault said online schooling is just not effective for Middle School students as many students don’t have the self-discipline as a college student might have. 

Video featured below: Middle School Teacher Josh Ault shares more with me how his students have adjusted to the online learning. Interview conducted on 17 July 2020. Duration 5:11.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkGRWsLM-dc&feature=youtu.be

©Stock image – 1676998306 – By Rido

Expectations of how school will reopen amid pandemic

Above image: Provided by Journalism & Social Studies Teacher Josh Ault

Mr. Ault said, face masks will be required once schools resume as well as social distancing will be put in place amongst students and the teachers; however, having a capacity of 900 students, Mr. Ault is hesitant to believe that will be an achievable objective.

“I think starting the school year online, we have to see how that goes. 

I’m hoping that the vaccine will be approved so that can start being rolled out, because right now I just don’t see how we can have school.

If one teacher or student gets sick, it’s just going to spread.

It’s kind of scary. I don’t think we can go back to school until these numbers go down.” 

– Journalism & Social Studies Middle School Teacher, Josh Ault 

Moving forward, Mr. Ault said parents will have the option to have their kids continue with online learning or they can attend in-school classes if they wish, but either way this will be a challenge for him, his teacher faculty, and his students. 

Video featured below: Mr. Ault shares with me how measures will be implemented at his school and how achievable he believes it will be. Interview conducted on 17 July 2020. Duration 3:23.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq0qsYabhXY&feature=youtu.be

©Stock image – 1737631289 – By cr8tiveshotz

Mr. Ault offers a personal message to his students:

“Hang in there and strive to continue to learn.

If you don’t have the greatest home life, I hope that you can continue to read books and search for things on the internet.

Continue to do your best and continue to learn. 

Stay positive. Make goals. Strive to stay focused and we will get back to normalcy.

Just do your best and be happy during these tough times.” 

– Journalism & Social Studies Middle School Teacher, Josh Ault 

Video featured below: Journalism & Social Studies Middle School Teacher Josh Ault offers a personal message to his students. Interview conducted on 17 July 2020. Duration 1:53. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFbdFzC8f3M&feature=youtu.be

Above image: Featuring Middle School Teacher Josh Ault

EXCLUSIVE: US Nurse conducts Covid-19 Contact Tracing at Navajo Nation Reservation

“I can’t imagine being a person who has tested positive for Covid with a 103 degree temperature and living in the desert, but people are doing it. 

People are sleeping in cars, barns, and sheds just to keep their families safe, so that they don’t get them sick.”

-Tayler Oakes, US Nurse conducting Contact Tracing of the Coronavirus at the Navajo Nation Reservation 

Navajo Nation Reservation: Covid-19 Hotspot

Above image: Provided by Nurse Taylor (taken in Arizona at the Navajo Nation Reservation)

The Navajo Nation Reservation resides in the United States and expands from north-eastern Arizona, south-eastern Utah, and north-western New Mexico, which covers 27,000 square miles. According to the Indian Health Service, the Navajo Nation Reservation is the largest Indian Territory Reservation in the United States, which has a population that surpasses 250,000.

The Navajo Nation Government issued a State of Emergency on the 22nd of July due to the alarming increase of over 9,000 people testing positive for the Coronavirus, which was reported by the Navajo Nation Health Department. Because of this increase of Covid-19 cases, the Navajo Nation Reservation has implemented a daily curfew time between 8 pm – 5 am. 

Nurse Tayler Oakes, who is assisting in the pandemic in Arizona, said the rise of positive Coronavirus cases largely contributes to the fact that most families who live at the Navajo Nation Reservation consists of 9 -12 family members living under one roof and a Navajo home, which can often look like the home in the image below.

Image by escapo is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

As there are so many family members that live under one roof in these non-spacious homes, this has made Coronavirus circumstances problematic for these families. Furthermore, if one family member tests positive for the virus, he or she has had to largely rely on facility resources, such as the Public Health Nursing facility, in which they have provided resources for the Covid-19 infected patient, so that he or she can recover from the virus.

Nurse Tayler assists in Contact Tracing for the Coronavirus

Above image provided by Nurse Tayler Oakes: Featuring Nurse Taylor’s Colleague (on left side) & Nurse Taylor (on right side)

When Nurse Tayler first arrived at the Public Health Nursing facility of the Navajo Nation Reservation, she was under the impression that she was going to be working in the ER; however, she was assigned to another job – the job of Contact Tracing for the Coronavirus within the Navajo Nation Reservation.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Contact tracing for Covid-19 typically involves: 

  • Interviewing people with COVID-19 to identify everyone they had close contact with during the time they may have been infectious.
  • Notifying contacts of their potential exposure.
  • Referring contacts for testing.
  • Monitoring contacts for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
  • Connecting contacts with services they might need during the self-quarantine period.

As for Nurse Tayler and her team, she said that they have been doing their best to assist in the pandemic with Contact Tracing of the Coronavirus. She also said, she typically receives phone calls on a regular basis from families who call in to say that a family member has tested positive for Covid-19. Moreover, Nurse Tayler begins questioning the Covid-19 infected patient by asking further questions – “‘who have you come in contact with before testing positive with Covid, who do you live with, and is there any way for you to self-isolate?”

“Our emphasis is to stop the spread of the virus and to provide resources to patients who have been diagnosed with Covid-19.”  

-Tayler Oakes, US Nurse conducting Contact Tracing of the Coronavirus at the Navajo Nation Reservation

Nurse Tayler also said, it becomes problematic when there are multi-generational households that have 9-12 family members who live in the same household, which is part of the Navajo Culture. The Public Health Nursing department has provided FEMA Kits to assist these families who are testing positive for the Coronavirus in order to self-isolate. 

The FEMA Kits generally include tents, gallons of water, and food; however, it does not include electricity. Nurse Tayler said, by providing these FEMA Kits, it has been helping those who live in multi-generational households to recover from the Coronavirus; however, with limited resources it can make matters extremely uncomfortable for a person who is trying to recover from the virus. 

“I can’t imagine being a person who has tested positive for Covid with a 103-degree temperature and living in the desert, but people are doing it. 

People are sleeping in cars, barns, and sheds just to keep their families safe, so that they don’t get them sick.”

-Tayler Oakes, US Nurse conducting Contact Tracing of the Coronavirus at the Navajo Nation Reservation 

Furthermore, Nurse Tayler also said, “if it is a weak older person that can’t stay outside, we would typically recommend for that family to quarantine together and to ride it out for the designated period. We try to do every possible measure to get people to self-isolate, whether that be to isolate in a bedroom or to provide them with bleach wipes to help keep the household clean and family members safe.”

Video featured below: Nurse Tayler shares her story with me of how she got involved with the NGO (Non-governmental Organization) and how she is assisting in the pandemic. Duration 6:55 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6itD_fLXwE&feature=youtu.be

Above image: Provided by Nurse Taylor (taken in Arizona at the Navajo Nation Reservation of the Public Health Nursing building)

Contact Tracing of Covid-19

Coronavirus: Under the Microscope 3D render

©Stock image – 1621031059 – By Lightspring

With Covid cases continuing to rise throughout the United States, members of the Public Health Facilities are finding it more important than ever to contain the virus by identifying who has tested positive for the Coronavirus, who they have come in contact with, and making sure those people self-isolate. Nurse Tayler said, Contact Tracing of Covid-19 really has been essential in order to stop the spread of the virus.

“It’s one of those things that you’ll never know if it was successful, but what would have happened had we not done this.”

-Tayler Oakes, US Nurse conducting Contact Tracing of the Coronavirus at the Navajo Nation Reservation

Nurse Tayler said the biggest challenge while doing her job of Contact Tracing for the Coronavirus has been the lack of resources in order to help people who are testing positive for Covid-19.

“We are able to identify problems, but the availability of resources that we need in order to intervene is not always there. 

This is a very complex population that has a lot of needs, and we don’t always have a way of fixing those problems.”

– Tayler Oakes, US Nurse conducting Contact Tracing of the Coronavirus at the Navajo Nation Reservation

As the Navajo Nation Reservation is located in such isolated areas, many are without running water and electricity. Therefore, assistance with essential hygiene measures in order to combat against this virus  – such as the washing of hands – the Public Health Department has had to intervene by providing hand sanitiser to ensure families are kept safe during this time. 

Video featured below: Nurse Tayler shares with me how effective Covid-19 tracing has been and the importance of it. Duration 3:57.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgKDocCNbiw&feature=youtu.be

Above image: Provided by Nurse Taylor (taken in Arizona at the Navajo Nation Reservation)

Nurse Taylor shares aid work experience

Above image: Nurse Tayler assisted Heart to Heart International in disaster relief efforts

Nurse Tayler has done many other forms of aid work as a nurse. She has worked all over the world – from Hurricane Relief efforts in the United States, Refugee Camps in Europe, and other forms of Aid work in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Haiti; however, the aid work she has done at the Navajo Nation Reservation in the US compares differently to the other aid work she has done in the past. 

“I do think the Covid pandemic has affected me differently. 

I don’t want to say it’s given me a sense of hopelessness, but I do think it’s given me a sense of ‘wow I had no idea what little control we have over this and really what little we can do about it, but what we can do is try our very best to slow it down and to help people who contract the virus’.”

– Tayler Oakes, US Nurse conducting Contact Tracing of the Coronavirus at the Navajo Nation Reservation

Nurse Tayler shares how the Coronavirus has impacted the Navajo Nation Reservation:

“I have talked to people who have lost multiple family members from the same family – MULTIPLE. 

That’s a very common thing – multiple family members from the same family have lost multiple family members.” 

– Tayler Oakes, US Nurse conducting Contact Tracing of the Coronavirus at the Navajo Nation Reservation

Nurse Tayler said the hardest part about the pandemic has been the fact that many people are not taking the pandemic seriously; for example, she said continues to see people throwing pool parties or people not wearing a face mask in public areas, which is making matters worse for the pandemic.

Featured above: Navajo face masks to purchase

Video featured below: Nurse Taylor shares with me how the pandemic has affected her on a personal level and how it has affected her mental health. Duration 2:01.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEKkS_oULQI&feature=youtu.be

Above image: Nurse Tayler Oakes assisting in the Covid-19 pandemic

Nurse Taylor’s message to the public

Above image: Nurse Tayler Oakes assisting in the Covid-19 pandemic

As Nurse Tayler assists with Contact Tracing for Covid-19 during the pandemic, she offers a personal message to the public during this distressing time:

“A little compassion goes a long way.

So please – wear your face mask, social distance, avoid large gatherings, and wash your hands.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

We can do this; I know we can.”

– Taylor Oakes, US Nurse conducting Contact Tracing of the Coronavirus at the Navajo Nation Reservation

Video featured below: Nurse Taylor provides a message of instruction to the American people in order to overcome this pandemic. Duration 1:18.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFzo6AKvDFo&feature=youtu.be

Above image: Provided by Nurse Taylor (taken in Arizona at the Navajo Nation Reservation)

Covid-19 Exclusive: Mexico’s resort photographer speaks out

“There’s not a lot of people who have education and knowledge in order to save fo the future. They are only thinking on the daily basis. So, I’m trying to teach them my methods and ways you can save money in order to prepare for the future.” – Photographer Diego Vallejo of Vallejo Photography

The repercussions of Covid-19 in Mexico

“IC3A0890” by Kashklick is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Countries all over the world are struggling economically amid the Covid-19 pandemic; however, for Mexico, it has been especially challenging, because the country was technically in the midst of a recession before the Coronavirus pandemic began, and now it has only gotten worse.

On the authority of Statista, Mexico’s average income amounts to roughly just a little over 12,000 pesos ($534 USD or £423) – 16,000 pesos ($712 USD or £564), which, for most, is not enough.

Furthermore, in Mexico during the pandemic, the unemployment rate increased. According to the Expansion Economía, in the first three months of the pandemic one million jobs were lost, which was registered under the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS).

The World Health Organization reported on 19 July 2020, Mexico’s public health has been greatly impacted due to the Coronavirus, because it is the fourth leading country of Covid deaths with over 38,000.

To find out more information about Mexico’s current situation, I got in touch with Photographer Diego Vallejo, who lives in Cancun, Mexico. He said that there are many  people in Mexico who are still having to live as they normally would, because they are not getting any type of governmental financial assistance; therefore, they still have to outside to work everyday and most Mexican’s do not have the option to work from home.

“There are a lot of people who live with the bare minimum.

They have to go outside everyday to earn cash for the day.”

-Photographer with Vallejo photography, Diego Vallejo

As the population lives like this, it has left many of them at a disadvantage to be prepared for a pandemic such as this. Furthermore, the majority cannot afford to have a week’s worth of groceries in their household. Therefore, they are having to risk going outside everyday in order to get their daily essentials.

Video featured below: Photographer Diego Vallejo discusses further with me how many people are struggling, because they can only afford to live day by day. Diego also shares with me how the government is not providing a lot of support for the people of Mexico.

Pandemic impacts the tourism industry in Mexico

As many resorts depend on tourist to keep their businesses afloat, resorts have had to cut a substantial amount of jobs drastically. For those resorts that have been able to reopen amid the pandemic, they are only allowed to be open at 30% capacity.

Diego Vallejo, who is a photographer in Cancun, Mexico, said about 70% of his income has been affected due to the pandemic. His photography business relies on people coming to Mexico for weddings, family portraits, and Company Group and Conventions. However, because many of these events have been cancelled due to the pandemic, it has greatly impacted Diego’s income.

Fortunately though, Diego said he has been able to find new creative ways to compensate for his lost income.

“A lot of companies are wanting to keep memories of their new ways of doing things post-Covid, so we have been taking pictures and video footage for those companies, and that has kept us afloat.”

– Photographer Diego Vallejo of Vallejo Photography

Additionally, on top of capturing those post-Covid shots and how it has affected businesses, Diego and his wife have also been promoting online purchases in order to generate more income for revenue they have lost due to the pandemic.

“My wife specialises in baby and horseback photography.

Now, she is doing templates for school graduations. She has been selling those not only here in Cancun, but also in other places like Canada.

So, that’s been a blessing of the internet.”

– Photographer Diego Vallejo of Vallejo Photography

Featured video below: Photographer Diego Vallejo shares more with me how his photography business has been affected.

Photo credit: Diego Vallejo Photography

Diego developed his own personal brand on social media

Aside from Diego’s photography business, he also studied business administration while he was in college. According to Diego, his education has enabled him to be financially stable. Below are three books that Diego highly recommends, which have helped him build his financial success for himself, his family, and his business.

Diego also said, there are many young people, especially in Mexico, who have not had the proper education in order to be able to be financially stable. Therefore, knowing this, Diego decided that he wanted to share his knowledge with others by using social media sites, such as Tik Tok and YouTube.

“There’s not a lot of people who have education and knowledge in order to save fo the future.

They are only thinking on the daily basis.

So, I’m trying to teach them my methods and ways you can save money in order to prepare for the future.”

-Photographer Diego Vallejo of Vallejo Photography

After Diego began sharing his knowledge on Tik Tok, he said he began to see an increase in his followers go from zero to 5,000 followers within the matter of a month’s time.

In the video’s featured below, Diego shares his financial teachings (in Spanish) – utilising his social media sites Tik Tok and Youtube – in which he shares how a young person can set themselves up for success for their future.

YouTube: Diego Hernández

Tik Tok: di3gohdz

Video featured below: Photographer Diego Vallejo shares more with me how he has utilised social media sites in order to help educate young people of their personal finances.

Final thoughts from Diego

“All my love to everyone.

You have to be patient and kind in this moment and remember that we are all human beings and we will get through this.

If you’re going through a rough patch, please take notice of this and be more prepared for the next time, because one thing that we are certain of is that change will always happen, so we have to be prepared for the prepared – always, all of the time.

Educate yourself on personal finances, get rid of things you don’t need, and start caring more about yourself and being healthy with yourself and your family and trying to do your best always.”

-Photographer Diego Vallejo of Vallejo Photography

Video featured below: Final thoughts from Photographer Diego Vallejo.

Indian Orphanage provides more than 10,000 Covid-19 relief packs to internal migrants amid pandemic

“They were lined up at our gates, because they were so desperate for food and medications. They could not afford these daily essentials.” – Courtney Regina Lalotra, Founder& President of One Life to Love

Migrants struggle in India amid Covid-19 pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has had a great impact on all countries across the world; however, India has been especially impacted during the coronavirus pandemic. According to the World Health Organization, India has had over 395,000 confirmed Coronavirus cases, which makes India the fourth leading country of confirmed cases; moreover, India is currently on lockdown until the first of July, which is when India’s government will reevaluate and decide whether or not the lockdown needs to be extended again.

As the coronavirus cases continue to rise in India, so do the loss of jobs. According to Trading Economics, the unemployment rate has went from 7 to 23 percent in India, which has left many migrants struggling to find a place to go and food to eat. Furthermore, India is the leading country in the world to host 17.5 million internal migrants in their country, according to the Economic Times.

Courtney Regina Lalotra, founder and president of One Life to Love, and her husband Yogesh Lalotra quickly recognised that there was a great need to help migrants who are struggling during this pandemic; therefore, they started putting together and distributing Covid-19 relief packs, which consists of food and medications.

With One Life to Love’s efforts, they have helped over 10,000 internal migrants by distributing Covid-19 relief packs.

Video featured below: Courtney and her husband hand out food and medications to those who are in need. Duration 0.24

About One Life to Love & its purpose

Founder and president of One Life to Love Courtney Regina Lalora with child who is a part of the Daycare & Education Center for Migrant Children

One Life to Love is an orphanage home for boys who have ‘special needs’. The orphanage home opened their doors 10 years ago and have been providing variety of services – a home for boys, day care services for girls and boys, woman alliance programs, sponsorship for children going to school, and much more.

Courtney Lalotra, who is the founder and president of One Life to Love, is originally from New Jersey – USA. Over 10 years ago, Courtney graduated from  the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York and became very successful in her fashion career; however, she realised she needed to do something more with her life, she needed to find a deeper meaning.

Coincidentally at this pivotal moment in her life, Courtney was offered an opportunity to study abroad for a research project in India with her former colleagues and professors to study a very fashionable fabric called ‘pashmina wool’, in which she quickly accepted.

Upon first arriving in India, she instantly saw that there was a lack of support for children who have ‘special needs’; therefore, she then decided to stay in India after completing her research project with her colleagues.

Founder and president of One Life to Love Courtney Lalotra with children of the slum 10 years ago

Courtney then moved to the slums of Delhi and helped countless street children and orphan children. However, there was one specific child – Surendar, whose name means beautiful boy – whom she got attached to, but unfortunately due to limited resources at the organisation that she was at, they could not assist him.

Furthermore, the story of Surendar is where the One Life to Love story began.

“This organisation that I was working with didn’t want to spend the resources that was needed to care for this child named Surendar, so they ended up sending him to the only mental institution in Delhi for children like him and two months later he died as a result of neglect.

When he passed away, it was really heart-breaking for me and that’s when I decided that I wanted to do something.

So I decided to open a home for children, like Surendar, and that’s when One Life to Love opened its doors.

We now have 10 children who have ‘special needs’ – and that’s not all, we have over 30 children who come every day for day care services, women alliance programs (where we are providing sanitary pads for women who don’t have access to them), and we are sponsoring education for more than 300 girls to go to school.

As soon as a need is presented to us, we work with the One Life to Love volunteers, professionals, and our local community to figure out, ‘how can we address this need to help fill this gap’.'”

– Courtney Regina Lalotra, Founder and President of One Life to Love

In order to help care for the children who live at the One Life to Love home, Courtney also has four ‘house mothers‘ who assist her with the children. The benefits of these particular house mothers are that they know and understand what these children are going through, because they have went through similar circumstances themselves.

One Life to Love children with their ‘house mothers’

One Life to Love also offers day care services for girls; however, Courtney hopes to open an even larger home, which would house boys and girls, as well as add an animal shelter (to help animals get off the streets and for therapy purposes).

Courtney is currently working with Architects Without Frontiers to bring this vision into fruition. Architects Without Frontiers provides assistance to facilitate the design and construction of health, education, and community projects, so that hopefully with their assistance, along with sponsors help, they can build a home like Courtney envisions.

Video featured below: Founder of One Life to Love Courtney Regina Lalotra shares with me how the orphanage originally got started, what it is that they do, and what is its sole purpose. Duration 16:13

Covid-19 Relief Efforts

One Life to Love and their volunteers originally began distributing Covid-19 relief packs to their day care children who were no longer able to come to the One Life to Love day care facility, due to India’s Covid-19 lockdown.

Once more people heard about One Life to Love distributing Covid-19 relief packs, hundreds of people began lining up outside their gates, because these people were all in need. Courtney said, they were all so desperate for food and medications, because they could not afford these daily essentials.

Not only is it important to One Life to Love to ensure that the people who live in the slums of India get their daily essentials, but they also want to provide the necessary education that they are in need of as well; therefore, One Life to Love has created campaigns in order to assist them with this need to help keep everyone safe in the slums of India during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Awareness campaigns is a very integral part of our work, so while we  distribute Covid-19 relief packs, we are also doing awareness campaigns – teaching people about hygiene –  showing them how to wear a face mask, how to wash their hands, and to eat healthy foods. This is an integral part of the program and it’s still ongoing.”

– Courtney Regina Lalotra, Founder& President of One Life to Love

Covid-19 relief packs

As many are struggling globally during this pandemic, Courtney shares her opinion of who may struggle the most during the post-covid recovery period.

“I think that nonprofits are going to suffer as a result of this.

We depend on other people’s donations in order to sustain our work, so we’re not sure what’s going to happen this coming year.

But you know, it’s across the board – every one is going to struggle.”

– Courtney Regina Lalotra, Founder& President of One Life to Love

Video featured below: Founder & President of One Life to Love Courtney Regina Lalotra shares with me what One Life to Love is doing in order to help during the Coronavirus pandemic. Duration 7:26

Courtney’s Final Message

Courtney shared with me her final thoughts on how others who may be struggling during this pandemic can turn something of what seems to be an impossible situation by rethinking things – ‘turn an impossible situation into an opportunity to do good.’

“It’s so important to look up and find hope. Find a way that you can contribute somehow. It doesn’t have to be anything huge, but I find through service, doing good – you’re the one who benefits.

Let’s look out and see ‘how can I make a positive difference’.

Make a donation to a nonprofit, call someone to see how they are doing, send someone a compliment, like something on their Facebook, or make a nice comment on someone’s post – you know it’ll make their day and you’ll feel good doing it.”

– Courtney Regina Lalotra, Founder& President of One Life to Love

Video featured below: Courtney shares with me some words of encouragement for people who may struggling during this pandemic. Duration 4:06

If you would like to help One Life to Love in continuing their efforts, please follow this link to donate.

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