Katelynn Garden and her family recently moved to Tumbler Ridge for the health of her son.
At four and a half years old, her son has a number of health related issues that have left him with a compromised immune system. “He has spent months in total of his very short life in the hospital for his lungs and seizures,” says Garden.
“His doctors in PG pushed for us to get him to better air. It took six months but we made it on March 14. Being here in Tumbler Ridge now, we are keeping him at home, getting him outside for at least 30 minutes a day, have kept all his medications well stocked, and limiting his contact (and ours) with the public.”
The family is not fully isolated. Her husband goes out to work at the mine, and they will go shopping, but, says Garden, it’s hard on her son, who is a very social child. “Wyatt was in daycare, we went to play groups, and public places were never a place of anxiety because if he wasn’t feeling well, we stayed home and made sure to keep up on regular health practices. Wyatt loves being around people and is out going and friendly. He also has Sensory Processing issues so to have to break his regular routine and keep him home has been incredibly difficult on him.”
Chantal Bowerman says her initial reaction was “pfft, nothing’s going to happen to me.
“I wasn’t concerned about Covid-19 until I was contacted by my medical team,” she says. “I thought it was just like any other flu. Homeschooling the girls, we’ve been fortunate in avoiding all the other illnesses that Tumbler was plagued with this season, however this is becoming a serious concern.”
While the chance of coming into contact with the virus is low, she says she’s still not planning on leaving home. “If I get Covid-19, or any other respiratory infection, it would most likely be a death sentence,” she says. “I’m concerned about my life.”
Still, Bowman says, despite the many inconveniences, she and her family are doing their best to be proactive, positive and precautionary.
For now, she says, she and the kids are staying home and avoiding contact with anyone. “We stocked up on supplies and are spending time together as a family,” says Bowerman “I’ve been advised by my medical team to remain as isolated as possible until this passes which may not be until April. I have had to go to Emergency here in town once a week for my life saving treatment, but they will now be administering my infusions from home so I’m not put at risk.”
She says the Isolation is going to be even harder on the kids as they move into Spring break. “They want to be out with their friends, having sleepovers and being kids,” she says. “However I can’t risk any possibility of contracting the disease. Any respiratory infection, flu, or bad chest cold could be fatal for me.”
The hardest part? Not being able to do more to help. “I just wish I could do more for my community,” she says. “Being the one who is at risk limits my ability to assist those at risk and that’s hard. I worry about the elderly in our community and others who are compromised. The unnecessary panic and over-shopping has left people like myself and other chronically ill patients to go without hand sanitizer, antibacterial soap and the things we need to ensure our health and safety. I have what I need here but so many of our friends with children who are comprised are going without. We need to not panic as a community, come together, be proactive and ensure that those who are at high risk are taken care of during this difficult time.
“I hear so many stories about people being inconvenienced over canceled travel plans. It’s a small price to pay to assist in slowing the progression if this illness and protecting the members of our community.”
