Éveline Chou, like many other seniors, has spent the last year prioritizing safety and staying in her apartment.
Before the pandemic started, she was closely connected to her family, spending a lot of time with them.
Laura Shaw Frank, her daughter, spoke of regular family dinners and noted that her mother was happy when surrounded by her seven grandchildren.
In the context of ongoing global vaccination, some restrictions are starting to gradually ease. Although Evelyn successfully completed both stages of vaccination, she still felt anxious going out into the streets, even two weeks after the second dose.
Even after full vaccination, her granddaughter Ateret could not convince Evelyn that the visit was completely safe.
Eventually, Ateret realized that her grandmother needed official permission for close contact with people. She consulted the family doctor and explained the situation.
“I said, ‘She’ll never hug me. She’s too nervous. She just won’t be able to hug me.’ And the doctor said, ‘Okay, I’ll give her a prescription that will allow you to hug.’ And I said, ‘Really, maybe it’s the only thing that will make her do it,’” Ateret said.
The official order read: “Allowed to hug granddaughter.” » Armed with this important document, Ateret and Laura showed up at Evelyn’s house with a gift.
“My granddaughter finished her COVID treatment, but I wasn’t planning on letting her in…even after I finished my vaccination,” Evelyn explained. “I was trapped in the world of COVID. »
When Evelyn saw the prescription, something seemed to change in her mind. “That prescription from my doctor gave me the courage to let her in,” she said.
For Evelyn, this hug was “happiness” and something she will never forget. “We were just standing in my apartment, hugging, crying – the first time in a year it was like coming out of the body,” she noted.
