My 100-Year-Old Grandmother Beat The Coronavirus (COVID-19)

My grandmother has been in self-isolation in a long term facility in Scarborough, since March. While she has been in self-isolation, she relayed the news to us that several members in her long term facility died from the virus. Although my grandmother is legally blind, she is 100% coherent, and spends her time listening to the news on tv, and talking to her family on the phone. When we received the news that my grandmother tested positive for the coronavirus, without symptoms, it was a hard pill to swallow. My grandmother was born the year of the Spanish Flu, and probably never expected to experience two pandemics in her lifetime.

Although she didn’t show any fear to me, I have a sense that she was a little worried. She wrote the family a letter, just in case, and continued to stay positive and in high spirits. My grandmother has been given her last rites a few times in her life, and what I’ve learned about her is that she will leave this world when she’s ready — She’s resilient, as you‘ve heard. I call her every few days, and we chat for a little while. Whenever we speak, she asks about my writing and tells me to continue, and she says that I should write children’s books of all kinds. She says that I should write on paper more than on the computer, for keepsakes. She’s old-school, but she’s probably right.

The other night, after I wrote the article about “The Power Of The Arscott Women,” I called her so that I could read the article to her, and it was an extraordinary moment for the both of us. I opened up my laptop, put her on speaker, and went through the article slowly. She was silent while she listened tensely to my words, and she was silent even during the pauses. I felt emotional reading it to her, and I could tell that she felt emotional hearing it. She said that she loved what I wrote, and she didn’t realize how much her strength and influence as a strong woman has affected me and affected every other woman in our family. She was in awe and asked for a paper copy for keepsakes; I am starting to understand why paper copies are so important.

She told me stories about my great-aunt Weezie that used to write for the Hamilton Spectator back in the ’60s or ’70s, and that she’s so happy to have another “writer” in the family again. Although that’s a beautiful compliment, I don’t consider myself a writer, but more so, just someone that likes to write and wants to share meaningful stories with the world. For a while, I was searching for what made me happy, and I was worried for a long time at what others would think. I made several attempts before to start writing and to share my words, and I never had the guts. I think the timing is everything, and that maybe I wasn’t ready before, but I am ready now.

I feel powerful. I am surrounded by so much strength, and what my grandmother doesn’t know is that her power and strength continue to influence us. My grandmother was recently tested again for COVID-19, and she tested negative. My grandmother beat the coronavirus at 100-years-old. She never ceases to amaze us. This woman, I tell you, she’s strong, she has a plan, and she won’t let anything get in between it.

I aspire to be more like her every day.