March 22, 2021
By Emily Melleno
Staff Writer
The chances of an elderly person over 85 years old being hospitalized because of Covid-19 is 13 times higher than someone between the ages of 18 and 29. My grandpa Felix Melleno, who is 90 years old, falls in that percentile. On Dec. 24, 2020, my dad got a call informing him that my grandpa had fallen and the paramedics would take him to the hospital for evaluation. Covid-19 restrictions disallowed anybody from being with him.
After almost 12 hours of hearing nothing, we had no idea whether or not my grandpa was well, so my uncle decided to call the hospital because we needed some type of information. My grandpa was moved around from wing to wing and the hospital had no clue where he was, which made us even more nervous.
A while after, we finally found out that he was in the Covid-19 wing. My family was never told he had the coronavirus, a required measure when someone has come in contact with a positive person.
A few days later, the hospital told my grandma that since my grandpa was not showing symptoms, he would be able to finish quarantining at home. When I was told that they had said this, I was initially confused because my grandpa has a pacemaker, and Covid-19 had affected at least 66 percent of those who are over 70 and have underlying diseases.
We later realized this was a bad decision because my grandpa had ended up getting a symptom and had to go back to the hospital, though this time he went to a different hospital.
On Jan. 18, 2021, my grandpa’s test finally came back negative for the coronavirus. While this day also happened to be his birthday, my family was able to FaceTime him for the first time in almost a month.
After a week, the doctors did an evaluation to see if he would be able to finish quarantining in a nursing home. This type of facility would be able to effectively take care of him with all the required medical necessities while also strengthening him through physical therapy.
While at the nursing home, family members were unable to visit, and since he tested positive for the coronavirus again, his stay was extended. I was nervous and upset for my grandpa because we have a close relationship. The thought of him not coming home really scared me, and being separated from my grandpa for so long made the situation even worse.
On Jan. 18, 2021, my grandpa’s test finally came back negative for the coronavirus. While this day also happened to be his birthday, my family was able to FaceTime him for the first time in almost a month. My grandma and uncle were able to go to the nursing home with balloons and homemade peanut butter cookies my sister and I made. We were notified that since he tested negative, the nursing home could re-evaluate him to possibly come home with a live-in nurse.
This entire experience helped me realize that my grandpa, who is 90 years old with a pacemaker, had survived Covid-19. I also learned how much of a fighter he is by being able to overcome every obstacle thrown at him. He is continuing to get better and conquer all the battles caused by Covid-19. I am also going to savor every moment that I can with my grandpa because after all that has happened, I learned that life can change at any given moment and you have to keep making memories for as long as possible.
