To say that this is a scary time we’re living in, may be the understatement of the year. March of 2020 literally felt like an entire decade unto itself, with every day bringing an avalanche of new information about coronavirus. The rising number of cases, the staggering number of deaths. How easily it spreads, and the myriad ways we’re not using PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) correctly. How many times a day the average person touches their face. (Hint: constantly.) We’ve learned the correct way to wash our hands, and that most of us haven’t ever really done it right. We’ve seen the same fear of scarcity, which is usually good for a laugh or two around Black Friday, turn people into panic-buying hoarders.
Coronavirus: Equal Opportunity Killer
COVID-19, the illness that coronavirus causes, was initially thought to mainly target the elderly and immunocompromised. But quickly we learned that was not the case at all, as people who would normally be considered in the “prime of their life” were being taken down by the virus. It soon became apparent as well, that the symptoms vary drastically from person to person. In fact, a person could be completely asymptomatic and unwittingly infecting other people all the time. The other end of the spectrum involves some details that no one wants to hear about, let alone experience firsthand. Fluid in the lungs, inability to breathe. Horrific stuff. Most people end up with flu-like symptoms and an emphasis on upper respiratory problems. Most don’t need to go to the hospital. But it’s still all so new, anything we believe we know now may change at any time.
It was in the early part of the longest decade of our lives, March, when the magnitude of the situation started to become apparent. Seemingly overnight Washington State saw a large spike in cases, and, as a nation, we held our breath. There had been rumblings of coronavirus in the news, in other countries, but this was our backyard. So collectively we took a crash course in virus prevention, and many of us began self-quarantining as we’d seen them do in China and other countries. Self-quarantine would soon become mandatory in municipalities all across the U.S., but at this moment in time, we were still trying to get our bearings.
She Was Supermom, You Know?
Sundee Rutter, 42, thought she had just come down with the flu. Having won a battle with breast cancer very recently, she knew it was particularly important to be mindful of her health. She took herself to get checked out at Providence Regional Medical Center on March 3, 2020, and soon received the news. She’d been infected. Her 20-year-old son, Elijah Ross-Rutter was confused by the COVID-19 diagnosis. “It was kind of hard for us to understand how she could get it because not that many people had it around here,” he said. (1)
Indeed, at the time there were just 27 cases in the whole state. But roughly a month later, it’s at over 5,000 confirmed cases and climbing. Elijah has 5 siblings, and he says that one of the hardest things about the diagnosis was how quickly they were all cut off from their mom. They were not permitted to have any contact with her… too contagious, too much risk. It was a sharp contrast to the recent fight for Sundee’s life they’d all undergone with breast cancer. For that, the family was by her side every step of the way. But for this, she was alone. They were all utterly alone, sequestered from each other when they needed each other most.
On March 16th, 2020, doctors knew the battle was over. It was time to say one last goodbye to their mom. Elijah and his siblings were summoned to the hospital to see her, but they were unable to be in the same room with her due to the risk of infection. Their final sentiments were relayed over walkie-talkie, looking on from behind a wall of glass.
“I told her I love her… She shouldn’t worry about the kids,” Elijah said.
Since the story became public, the family has received more than $275,000 in donations. “It’s crazy how much love and support we’ve been receiving from the community,” said Elijah. “It kind of goes to show how big of an impact my mom had on our community. She was a supermom, you know?”
