A New Hope

Chris DiMaso | February 22, 2021

“For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?” Romans 8:24

EEEyouch! Wait…that didn’t hurt. A sentiment close to that was shared time and time again on the morning of January 18th. Staff and residents lined up to receive their Covid-19 vaccinations. But whether the pinprick hurt, it paled in comparison to the anguish we have felt over the last 11 months.

It seemed like in a matter of one day we went from a bustling community to desolate hallways. The energy that families brought in with them dried up. The rejuvenation in our resident’s faces was gone. Masks replaced smiles, and gloves eclipsed handshakes. Villa was in lockdown.

Immediately hope pushed up from our hearts like daffodils through the snow. We began to look for ways to ease the pain, but also how to return to normal. We found new ways to play games like bingo. We adapted to window visits with families and bought iPads to facilitate video calls. We saw how technology and faith could be used together. With hope, we persevered, and we waited.

Good news came after the New Year, we had our vaccine clinic date! On a chilly Monday morning, the kind and gentle pharmacists from CVS came to administer the Pfizer vaccine. The first vaccine went to Angela Atchley, life enrichment coordinator. The excitement of watching a medical miracle come to Villa St. Francis renewed the vigor in us all. The needles delivered more than medicine, they injected us with a new hope.

On February 9th, our hope came to fruition. Families once again entered through our front doors and sat in the same room with their loved ones. The air was electric, and more than one tear was shed. As we move forward and look to the day that we can fully reopen, we ask for your continued support. Wear your mask. And when you can, get vaccinated.