Barbara Davison edits the United Church Women’s The Banner and recently wrote the following editorial for that publication based on her and her husband’s experience with COVID-19. Robert Davison died on January 31, 2021. The Banner is the quarterly publication of the Women of the United Church in Chinook Winds and Northern Spirit Regions

This is a different Editorial, from the ones I usually write. I am sure you all have been following the rules set by the Health Experts regarding this dreadful virus that had brought all our meetings and gatherings to a halt. We follow the rules to keep us all safe to meet once again, but there are some people out there who think they are above the laws, and that they know better than the experts! They parade through our towns and cities to show their defiance to rules and regulations. I would really like to take them and place them in an ICU unit of a hospital where this really infectious disease is being dealt with.*
I would like them to see the dreadful suffering of patients who cannot breathe without ventilators or oxygen. All the extra problems that come with tube feeding, etc.
I speak like this because I watched my beloved husband fight this disease for eight weeks in two Intensive Care Units in Calgary. I watched as he fought for breath, suffered through delirium due to the induced coma he was in. Cried as he didn’t know me when eventually I was allowed in to see him after three weeks, covered in gowns, gloves, masks etc.

He did a friend a favour by driving them to a medical appointment, who didn’t say they had already tested positive for COVID. Five days later my husband was sick, I followed soon after, and when the tests came back positive, we were devastated.
My husband took all he could and fought as hard as he could for eight weeks, and finally succumbed to this dreadful disease. I have heard some of the “deniers “ say that God will take care of them! God gave us a brain to make choices and stood by as man-made those choices. God was there to help and support and surround us with love, as we made our choices for good or for bad. I would hope that this situation is not what God wanted, but that God is guiding us and standing with us in this time of trouble.

I cannot speak for anyone but myself, and I hope and pray every day, that those who say we are denying them their rights, would realize that they are denying ME and YOU our rights to a healthy life, free from fear of catching this disease because someone didn’t care. I would ask you all to do something for me.

Every night, I hugged my husband and told him that I loved him. Please do that to someone you love. I cannot do this any more.

Barbara Davison is also a member of the Chinook Winds Region’s Community of Faith Strategy Group.

*One sentence was removed that may have disturbed readers.