The Benedict News Spring 2021 Edition

When COVID Strikes: A Survival Story
By Joseph Jumbo and Geovanni Lopez
“Once I had to handle the house flood alone,
I realized how hard the Coronavirus had
affected my life,” said Benedict News Online
Editor Geovanni Lopez UD2.
For nearly two frightening months earlier this
year, Geovanni’s family grappled directly
with the COVID-19 virus. The ordeal started
on Jan. 11, of this year, when Geovanni
received what he would ultimately find
out was a false-positive result for the virus.
A week later, his father tested positive for
COVID-19.
Geovanni’s father provided the main income
for the family, so his illness and inability to
work full-time meant the family would face
severe economic hardship. “He was not being
paid as much as usual,” said Geovanni.
On top of causing financial worries, the
disease brought discomfort to the household
by forcing the rearranging of what was usual.
To avoid infecting the rest of the family,
Geovanni’s father isolated himself in an attic
bedroom -- Geovanni’s bedroom. Geovanni,
having lost his room, was forced to find
another place to sleep and study. But the
highly infectious disease made that difficult.
Within days of Geovanni’s father contracting
the illness, Geovanni’s mother came down
with COVID. This also meant that Geovanni’s
grandmother, who lived with them, had to
Photo by Onder Ortel for Unsplash
take precautions, too, especially since the
disease affects the elderly so harshly.
“I had nowhere to go… I thought of sleeping
on the floor,” said Geovanni.
Geovanni is grateful to his godfather,
who gave him an inflatable bed to sleep
on. For the next few weeks, Geovanni took
full responsibility for the house. He found
himself doing tasks his mother and father
would usually perform, such as cooking,
cleaning, or washing clothes. His parents had
also taken the bathroom with the only shower
in the house, meaning that Geovanni had to
go to his godfather's house to bathe.
Geovanni cared for his parents and kept
the house in order while keeping up with
schoolwork. Just when his parents began
feeling better, recovering from the virus,
Geovanni learned that his sister, who lives
nearby, contracted the Coronavirus. She
had just given birth to a daughter. Having
COVID-19, Geovanni’s sister did not want to
put the newborn at risk.
After two weeks of recovery, Geovanni’s
parents took charge of the baby since
they now had built immunity to the virus.
However, Geovanni’s parents were not
in good shape to take care of the baby.
“They were extremely fatigued and weak,”
Geovanni said. “I was worried for them.”
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