Over the last week I’ve found myself trying to think back to last January. What used to seem so normal is now completely foreign. Before the pandemic, a lot of us took many things for granted– Things like going to the grocery store, going to the gym, going to the salon, or going out for dinner with others. Life before March 2020 was our version of normal, but then the world shut down and what we knew to be normal was gone.
I read a news story a few weeks ago about a doctor who had been handling hundreds of COVID-19 patients at his local hospital, working nearly 260 days straight. While working, one of the COVID-19 patients was an elderly man who wasn’t just suffering from the virus, but from loneliness and sadness also. The doctor, fully suited up in protective equipment, wrapped his arms around the elderly man as he buried his head into the doctor’s arm. Through tears the elderly man told the doctor, “I want to be with my wife.”
That story hit me hard. There are so many people who are suffering from this virus and missing their loved ones. Right now if feels like we have no choice but to hold each others’ hand through plastic. We are holding each others’ hand through windows. We are holding each others’ hand through phone calls, though video calls. We are holding each others’ hand through community drive-by’s celebrating birthdays and graduations.
There is a common denominator in all of those scenarios though… We are holding each others’ hand through it all. In the midst of fear and uncertainty, that is beautiful. Even if it is through a suit of protective equipment, even if it is through windows, even if it is through community drive-by’s– We are there for one another, we are fighting through this pandemic together, and we will get through this pandemic together.
“One key to successful relationships is learning to say no without guilt, so that you can say yes without resentment.” -Bill Crawford
I’ve always loved being around people, especially when I was younger. I look back now and realize I was really quite the extrovert. I loved hanging out with my friends and I would seek out the opportunities to do so. I loved playing sports and meeting new people. I was always open to saying yes. Fast forward to Anna as a 25-year-old and you see someone a little different. Don’t get me wrong– I still love being around people and meeting friends for coffee or dinner. I also love making new connections. But every day I am realizing something about myself that is quite frustrating to say the least… I can’t say no without feeling guilty or feeling like I’m putting someone at a disadvantage.
Do you know the feeling? The feeling of, “well, if I say no then they’re going to think I don’t like them,” or “if I say no then they’ll be mad at me.” Saying no is a hard thing to handle for a person who puts forth so much time and energy worrying about what other people think of them– The person who rehearses what they’re going to say to someone before even having to say it (and will most likely still get nervous and anxious and forget everything they rehearsed two days before). Hi, I’m that person. It’s nice to meet you.
A person who has difficulties saying no will most likely understand what I mean when I say this – Saying yes is exhausting and overwhelming. Here’s a part of myself that I come to fully understand and accept: I have a social meter. And when that meters runs low, the tears flow (poetic, right?). That is when I absolutely do not want to make plans or go through with plans made when my meter was full. Here’s the thing: Rehearsing conversations in my head is exhausting. Making plans for next weekend or doing that thing you feel obligated to do just to make someone else happy is exhausting. But I can’t say no because then I’m a terrible person or a terrible friend. This is the battle I fight daily.
Now, I realize I’m a working progress when it comes to saying no, but I don’t think it’s right to do things that make you unhappy or cause you to feel mentally drained just to make someone else happy or to validate your relationship with them. Now, I’m not saying putting others before yourself isn’t the right thing to do. As a Christian, I see it as “God first, other’s second, I’m third.” But how am I supposed to be present in my relationships or with opportunities when I’m mentally drained and have nothing left to give? Well, guess what. Having a limit is OK. Saying no is OK. Canceling weekend plans after having a mentally exhausting week is OK. Being honest and saying you want time to yourself is OK.
To those who struggle with saying no– I get it. I totally get the struggle. It’s a battle each and every day. But you and I are worthy of being happy, and saying yes to something that immediately makes you feel unhappy or overwhelmed is not worth saying yes to. If someone is offended by you knowing yourself and taking care of your mental health by saying no to plans (last minute no’s count also because life happens and social meters run out suddenly), then so be it. You know yourself best.
Embrace saying no. And don’t worry, you’re still a good person.
It was my last semester of my senior year in undergrad. My husband and I had just finally grasped the fact that we were about to be parents. I know what you’re thinking— “she’s in undergrad, why is she already married and pregnant?”— I get it. You see, I was a little, quote on quote, behind in college. I am almost 25 years old and have just graduated college with my bachelors degree. That absolutely deserves to be celebrated, especially knowing I’m the first to begin and complete college in my family. You go girl! Back to the story though. Months before I was expected to have my baby, I emailed all of my professors I knew I would be having during my last semester. Responses came in, with most like, “congratulations! Of course we will work with you,” and “We can absolutely make this work. You will do great.”
And then there was this response: “It’s going to be really hard. I think you should take the semester off and focus on your new baby.”
In the moment, I almost took that seriously. I told him that, one way or another, I was going to graduate. That night, I went home and told my husband that I should take the semester off because it would be too difficult and I would miss too much of my child’s life because, well, my professor told me so and obviously that should be how it is. The one conversation with that one professor— a person who is supposed to see all of the potential in their students’ no matter what— nearly destroyed all of the encouragement and determination I had forced myself to believe and accept. But he failed. And I passed.
Here I am— A wife, a mama to a wonderful, smart, joy-filled, beautiful baby boy named Eli, and a college graduate. Yes, I did all of those things at the same time. And I rocked it.
Moral of the story: Not only prove to others your worth, but prove to yourself that you are capable of doing that thing that is standing in front of you. Whether that thing is graduating college, starting a new job, quitting that job that has been wearing you out for ages, becoming a mama, deciding you don’t want kids (no judgement here— I love my baby but I understand and respect those who choose not to procreate) or any other obstacle that you may be facing. At the end of the day, you live with the seeds you sew.
I hope I sewed at least one thing into my professors mind and heart and that is this: Be a person who believes in a person who says they can’t instead of being a person who doubts a person who says they will.
Shedding light on social workers who pick up the broken pieces each day.
A picture that was drawn by a foster child on Abby Hutchins’ caseload. Fayetteville, Ark. Photo courtesy of Abby Hutchins.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark– Will and Ty Cassady are siblings who were adopted by Wendy and Richard Cassady in December 2018. Will is a typical 11-year-old boy. He plays video games, loves watching Pokémon and playing basketball in the backyard. He and his brother are surrounded by a family who loves them, but that was not always the case. They know first-hand how important social workers are.
Cassady and his brother were removed from his biological parents’ when he was just 8 years old. He described it as a boring living situation for him and his brother, which consisted of no running water in an insect-infested apartment, so much so that when he would vacuum, he didn’t want to turn the vacuum off because “the roaches would crawl back out.”
In 2019, there were over 34,000 child maltreatment assessments in the state of Arkansas, all of which social workers dealt with. Over 8,000 were found to be true maltreatment cases, like Will and Ty’s—That includes cases related to abuse, child neglect and unlivable housing— Social workers are changing the lives of children who otherwise would be living in those situations, according to the Arkansas Department of Human Services.
Cassady’s mother said, while fostering they would pee themselves wherever they were because they didn’t know what it meant to use the bathroom when they needed to go. “They never got up to go use the bathroom. If they were playing a video game and they needed to pee, they would just pee all over their clothes,” Cassady’s mother said. “They never lived anywhere with plumbing.”
Both boys dealt with trauma. Both went through physical abuse and neglect. Ty experienced a traumatic head injury at 6 months of age, which was a part of a series of abuse-related injuries and was airlifted to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock because he was turning blue and unresponsive. “His dad’s response was ‘I fed him, then he rolled off the bed and he was lifeless’,” Cassady’s mother said. That’s when social services were called.
Cases like Will and Ty’s are what social workers deal with on a daily basis. The truth is, social workers are heroes of their own kind. They have a lot on their plate. Their workload is piling up, children are in need of saving.
“[Social workers] were some of the first safe people the boys knew,” Cassady’s mother said. “The time the boys spent with them was always positive.”
The capes are still on. Even during a global pandemic.
Abby Hutchins is a program assistant at the Department of Human Services in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The times are hard right now, Hutchins said, and the coronavirus has added to the stress within social work, which has caused a lot of unknowns for Hutchins and her co-workers.
“Our jobs are to keep kids safe and it’s so hard to do when the world is in a crisis,” Hutchins said. Each caseworker in her division has over 100 children on their caseload. They should each have less than 40 children.
Physical visits to children have now been moved to Zoom meetings and Hutchins said it has been hard being apart from “our kids” because “they aren’t just children we’re responsible for. They are the children we love.”
Not only is there more pressure on the social workers, there’s more pressure on the foster parents. Foster children aren’t in school right now, “their routines are messed up and their behaviors escalate,” Hutchins said. Not only that, but the worry of households contracting the virus weighs heavy.
Will Cassady, left, and Ty Cassady, right, on the day they moved in with Wendy and Richard Cassady to begin fostering. Springdale, Ark. August 2017. Photo courtesy of Wendy Cassady.
Jeannie Roberts is a journalist at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette who has been fostering for three years. She is a divorced, single mother with three foster daughters, who can’t be named due to foster care rules, a 17-year-old daughter, Austin Roberts, whom Roberts adopted in January after fostering, and a biological daughter, Nikki Davis.
Roberts said she was clueless on how to handle the virus when it hit. It was all so sudden.
That’s when the fear truly kicked in for both Roberts and her foster children, “not about getting the virus, but about me getting it and them being pulled out of their home,” Roberts said.
Roberts said she had “the fleeting thought that it would be better if one of the children was the first one to contract the virus instead of me” because then “it would be my choice to keep them in my home and care for them all through to wellness.”
Roberts said her and her foster daughters came down with COVID-19 symptoms that included respiratory issues and fever. During that time, doctors were only testing people with severe symptoms that required hospitalization. “Symptoms spread to the other girls and three of them had to be placed on breathing treatment every two hours,” Roberts said. That’s when doctors decided to test them.
Their tests came back negative, but during the whole process “DCFS from the first moment really went into overdrive,” with dozens of phone calls coming in from different levels in the system. They “offered every kind of help and made sure we had everything we needed,” Roberts said.
Hutchins said that is the reason why she chose this type of work. She has a heart to serve and make a difference. She said her job is to “pick up the pieces of children’s lives other people have broken.”
Hutchins recalled a case she was working on when she started at DHS. It was for a 12-year-old girl who experienced sexual abuse. Hutchins said she was sick to her stomach reading through the file, which had reports from police and the court with “horrific details that no one should have to experience.” The girl is still in the foster care system waiting to be adopted, but Hutchins said she has come a long way.
Jeannie Roberts, left, and her adopted daughter, Austin Roberts, at the White County Court House in Searcy, Ark. for her adoption hearing. January 2020. Photo courtesy of Jeannie Roberts.
Hutchins explained how social workers show up to the child’s doctors appointments, therapy sessions and to eat lunch with them at school, and that “kids become more than a random child to us.” We know their stories. We see their growth, and “we get a front row seat to the redemption in their story,” Hutchins said.
Social workers are “working our butts off” to make sure their children are taken care of, and nobody truly knows what social workers do until they’re in their shoes, Hutchins said.
They “truly care about the children and go to seemingly impossible lengths to make sure the children are safe and well,” Roberts said. “They’re hampered though by a critical shortage and underfunding of caseworkers, the massive emotional and physical toll it takes to do this job, and the lack of enough foster homes.”
Hutchins said she wants it to be known that social workers are normal people doing a job that is too big for anyone, but in the lives of Will and Ty, the Robert’s family, and countless others nation-wide, they are true heroes who love those who “were once labeled as ‘unlovable’.”
The drug that has been called a “game changer” by President Trump has users worried about their own monthly supply.
The U.S Food and Drug Administration approved the use of an immunosuppressive drug to treat COVID-19 under the discretion and supervision of a physician.
Hydroxychloroquine, or Plaquenil, is used to treat malaria, lupus and arthritis, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Kati Trejo, pharmD at Community Pharmacy in Springdale, Arkansas, said she is glad the drug has shown positive effects for treating COVID-19, but she said that shouldn’t mean others who need it have to go without or find another option.
“What about the patients who need it for their lupus or arotinoid arthritis,” Trejo said. “For me, this is the one medication that has helped.”
Trejo is a user of the drug to treat her dermatomyositis, which is similar to lupus and she is concerned about the possible hydroxychloroquine shortage due to its demand during and the unnecessary use of it.
In early April, Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin donated 100,000 hydroxychloroquine tablets from Amneal Pharmaceuticals to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock to use as treatment for COVID-19 and other chronic illnesses, according to the state.
Trejo said doctors need to slow down and look closely at the medical background of their patients because that can determine if hydroxychloroquine is safe for them to take.
“They’re trying to look at this as a miracle drug,” Trejo said. “I think it’s a really good drug, but along with that there are side effects.”
The drug has shown potential in treating COVID-19 but more information is needed through clinical trials, according to National Institutes of Health.
Trejo said though she is not against using the drug, she thinks there should be more research done before providing it to COVID-positive patients.
“There is a lot of going back and forth on if people agree on it or not,” Trejo said. “It does have some serious consequences. To blindly put your trust in a drug without having evidence seems a little unprofessional in a way.”
Trejo said her friends who tested positive for the virus experienced positive outcomes after being treated with hydroxychloroquine.
Sandra and Gregory Mundis experienced severe cases of the virus, including being put on a ventilator, Trejo said.
Dr. Gregory Mundis Jr., an orthopedic surgeon at Scripps Green Hospital, said in a Facebook post that his father, Mundis, is improving and no longer on a ventilator.
On March 18, Mundis tested positive for COVID-19 and was treated with both hydroxychloroquine and remdesvir created by Gilead Sciences, a research-based biopharmaceutical company in Foster City, California, and was on a ventilator for 34 days, Mundis Jr., said.
“Today, we learned that he is 100% off his sedation and only requiring intermittent help with Tylenol,” Mundis Jr., said. “Each day is suddenly welcoming new facial movements, gentle blinking of an eye, the hint of a smile.”
On March 18, Mundis tested positive for COVID-19 and was treated with both hydroxychloroquine and remdesvir created by Gilead Sciences, a research-based biopharmaceutical company in Foster City, California, and was on a ventilator for 34 days, Mundis Jr., said.
“When they [Gov. Asa Hutchinson Administration] first started making press conference announcements, our pharmacy as well as a lot of others had a lot of call-ins by prescribers trying to do it prophylactically for themselves and their family,” Trejo said.
Pharmacies should exercise caution when dispensing the drug to members of the community and the drug should be restricted to patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 and have been admitted to a hospital, according to Arkansas Department of Health.
Trejo said because there has been an increase in demand for hydroxychloroquine, pharmaceutical companies are increasing their production of the drug and the generic versions of it in order to avoid a drug shortage, assuring all patients who are in need of the drug will have access to it.
“The generic would be the one that is sold more often,” Trejo said.
Some pharmacies ordered the generic version of the drug and have gotten the name brand because there is a shortage of the generic drug, Trejo said.
The FDA said it is continuing to monitor the impact hydroxychloroquine and 18 other therapeutic agents have on COVID-19 patients.
Local businesses are closed due to the concerns of the Coronavirus spreading, Mike Peters, chief of police in Springdale, Arkansas, said in a letter to the community.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson ordered bars, restaurants, gyms and salons in Arkansas to close until further notice in order to encourage social distancing, and local businesses are speaking out.
Mike Lawson, a city council member, said the city is monitoring the situation and are adapting to the changes.
“The city is leaning on the advice from the governor and the directives from the CDC to help with the spread of the virus,” Lawson said.
Stephanie Robinson, owner and operator of Sire Boutique in Downtown Springdale, said her and her husbands are worried about what closing might do for their business and other businesses in the growing downtown area.
“There are so many unknowns when you do own your own business,” Robinson said. “When will I open back up? Will sales still come in?”
There are nearly 250,000 small businesses in Arkansas alone, with almost 450,000 small businesses employees, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The Cares Act, signed by President Trump, provides disaster loan assistance to small businesses with 500 employees or less, according to the Coronavirus website.
Robinson still worries about her business as they are in the process of constructing a new building in Downtown Springdale.
“My husband and I invested in a building on Emma Avenue two years ago,” Robinson said. “We’re in the middle of construction and Covid-19 hits. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about paying my bills.”
Janelle Runyan, a hair stylist at On the Boulevard Salon and Barber in Bentonville, said prior to receiving the mandate to close, business started picking up due to spring break.
“Business was booming,” Runyan said. “This is a very busy time for stylist.”
Runyan said she respects why these mandates have been put in place but that does not make it any easier.
“I understand the reasoning behind taking extra precautions,” Runyan said. “But to be shut down is extremely hard and depressing.”
Other local businesses in the area who are not greatly affected include pharmacies. Victoria Hennessey, pharmacy manager at McKinney Drug Store, said though their business hasn’t slowed down, they have taken steps to reduce person-to-person contact all while providing medicine to their customers.
“We reviewed changes in best practices for checking patients in and out of the pharmacy,” Hennessey said. “Taking phone-in orders and use of the drive-thru.”
Hennessey said they have started using text alerts that informs patients their prescription is ready to be picked up or it can be delivered for free.
Though business has not been affected, the manufacturers who produce the drugs are often located in China and India, both of which were hit the hardest by COVID-19, Hennessey said.
“Another reason that wholesalers are limiting medication distribution to pharmacies is due to increase in demand,” Hennessey said.
Steps are being taken in order to monitor the supply of medications and the shortages of those that are in high demand, including muscle relaxers and multi-vitamins for adults and pediatrics, according to the U.S. Drug and Food Administration.
Hennessey said patients are being encouraged to call in for an additional 90-day supply of medications out of fear of not being able to get what they need.
“Calling patients ahead allows us to make sure we will have their medication in stock before they run out and to ease their fears and concerns,” Hennessey said.
Peters said they are doing everything they can, but it will take the work of the entire community in order to make it through the pandemic.
“We must trust our government leaders and our health experts who are telling us these actions are the best way to stop the spread,” Peters said. “If we fail to take these aggressive measures now, we may pay a higher price in the long term.”
In Arkansas, there are 837 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to Arkansas Department of Health.
Runyan said she is taking this time to rest and prepare to help her clients even more so when she is able to return to work.
“I have to approach it with grace and gratitude,” Runyan said. “A positive perspective is the only way to get through it.”
A local senior center closed its doors Monday in the midst of the Coronavirus as confirmed cases exceed 100 in Arkansas.
Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse announced the Springdale Senior Activity and Wellness Center will be closed until March 31 to encourage social distancing in hopes of preventing the spread of COVID-19.
The Senior Center serves nutritional meals to senior citizens on weekdays and provides many interactive activities.
Lori Proud, director of the Springdale Senior Center, said this is a difficult time for the community, especially for seniors who are now homebound for the next two weeks and have no family nearby.
“I’ve been here 17 years now, and you think that everybody has somebody, but there are so many people who have no one,” Proud said. “For a lot of people, we are their livelihood.”
Social isolation can lead to extreme loneliness in senior citizens and has been shown to be as damaging as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, according to Health Resources and Services Administration.
Joanne Glass, kitchen manager at the Springdale Senior Center, said the center is filled with nothing but silence, but for a good reason.
“In the days before we closed, numbers were normal and morale was cautiously optimistic,” Glass said. “Seniors were sad but understood the reasons for closing.”
Proud said the Springdale Senior Center serves nearly 150 senior citizens a day and most of the funding comes from the donations they bring in.
“The people who eat here and come to our activities support the center on a daily basis,” Proud said. “We are going to have more costs because we’ve put those people on the Meals on Wheels program.”
Meals on Wheels serves homebound seniors nutritious meals Monday through Friday. Proud said many of the seniors who normally attend activities at the center have been added to the Meals on Wheels program until they are able to resume business.
“We have several people who would qualify for Meals on Wheels, but through our transportation program we were able to pick them up and bring them to the center,” Proud said. “That was an unexpected expense.”
Glass said the Meals on Wheels routes no longer run Monday through Friday in order to lessen the overall contact between volunteers and seniors. “We have continued serving our meals on wheels clients, cutting our deliveries to Monday, Wednesday, and Friday” Glass said. “That is sad, but the clients still see us.”
Senior citizens are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 and experiencing serious complications, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Meals on Wheels deliverers are to follow a strict delivery model, which requires a “no contact” delivery system, keeping at least 6 feet between volunteers and the senior, according to Meals on Wheels People.
Proud said costs are their main concern right now since the center’s doors are closed, especially with the additional seniors being added to the delivery routes. Proud is asking the community to donate whatever is feasible.
“It takes $5 to feed a senior,” Proud said. “There’s no way we will let any senior go hungry.”
The center is also creating care packages to provide to homebound seniors, Proud said.
Diana Osborn, a daily volunteer at the Senior Center, said people can donate essential items to include in the care packages.
“People have donated toilet paper, sanitizer, disinfecting wipes and money donations,” Osborn said.
Osborn said they also packaged up fresh fruits and veggies to be delivered with their meals, along with other necessities like canned goods and crackers.
“Hopefully this will be a short shutdown,” Osborn said. “I just get this weird feeling when it’s so quiet.”
Proud said they will continue serving in any way they can until they can all gather together again.
“They’re my family,” Proud said. “We’re just one big dysfunctional family, but we all love each other very much.”
Glass said she is hopeful this will all pass, and the center will be running like normal soon.
“I continue to pray that God will guide the doctors and our leaders through these scary times,” Glass said.
Donations are being accepted at the Springdale Senior Center and at Shelby Lynn’s Cake Shoppe in Springdale, Arkansas. Proud said they are also accepting donations via PayPal.
A story of going through pregnancy and birth during a global pandemic.
Paige and Matt Heffron with their dog, Jake, announcing their pregnancy in Springdale, Arkansas. August 2019. Photo courtesy of Paige Heffron.
SPRINGDALE, Ark— As the new year began, things started to look a bit different for soon-to-be new parents, Paige and Matt Heffron. Once they heard the Coronavirus that originated in China was becoming an issue in the U.S., they realized it could actually impact their birth plans and beyond.
Through all of the planning and anticipating, having a baby during a pandemic was not a part of the agenda.
Plans to have her mom, Susie Johnston, in the delivery room, plans to have her three sisters visit as soon her baby was born, plans for friends to visit at the hospital. All of them were in question. Heffron explained her love for her friends and family, and that “not being able to share my new bundle of joy with everyone around me right away seems really tough.”
As positive cases grow in the U.S., so does the concern. Arkansas has 946 confirmed cases so far. The disease has shown to be more dangerous in adults over 65 and those with immune disorders, but pregnant women remain at risk because pregnancy affects the immune system, according to the Arkansas Department of Health.
There is not much evidence showing the virus could be passed on to the unborn baby or be harmful to a baby during delivery, but new information is coming in daily, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. Nirvana Manning, obstetrician and gynecologist at UAMS Health in Little Rock, Arkansas, said what they know is that “it doesn’t appear as though pregnant women have an increased chance of contracting” but in the event that a pregnant woman does contract COVID-19, “they’re at increased risk of complications” because of the weakened immune system.
Unlike other pandemics, like the H1N1 pandemic in 2009 that had pregnant women at an increased risk of contracting, COVID-19 does not appear to have that same effect, Manning said.
Regarding transmission from mother to baby, “it’s such limited data, but we think the risk is at about 20 percent,” Manning said. From what she has seen, the virus has not been found in amniotic fluid or breastmilk but has been spread through the air. UAMS “is currently separating mom and baby at this time, but the mother can still pump breast milk to be fed to the baby.”
Though Heffron did not contract the virus, she said the lack of knowledge is discouraging and the uncertainty of COVID-19 is scary. “My anxieties have definitely been higher,” Heffron said.
The uncertainty of visitor policies at Washington Regional left Heffron on edge, but she was hopeful to have two important people with her during delivery– Her husband and her mom.
Paige Heffron, left, and her mother, Susie Johnston, right, at a family baby shower held at Winfree Memorial Baptist Church in Midlothian, VA. December 2019. Photo courtesy of Paige Heffron.
Johnston lives in Midlothian, Virginia, and has been concerned about traveling from Virginia to Northwest Arkansas for her granddaughter’s birth. Her original plan was to fly but by mid-March, she wasn’t even sure flying would be a possibility. In a few short days, “it became apparent that flying was not a wise option since it seemed like that was a common way of transmitting the virus,” Johnston said.
That’s when she took it upon herself to drive 18 hours, by herself, without splitting up the time and staying in a hotel. She wanted to avoid as many places as possible until she made it to her daughter.
Johnston set up a bed in the back of her Toyota Highlander, and “packed all the food and drinks I would need, and packed latex gloves for every bathroom and gas stop,” and with the help of “excitement, coffee, and maybe a little fear that if I stopped anywhere, I might catch the virus,” she finally made it to Springdale.
Johnston said she knew there was a chance that she may not even be allowed in the hospital during the delivery, but she was determined to be there for her daughter, no matter what.
Heffron said her friends started “calling and asking, ‘oh my gosh, are you even going to be allowed to have any visitors in the hospital, even Matt’?”
Manning said telling an expecting mother that she can’t have her spouse or support person with her is the last thing she wants to do “because it’s such an amazing time for families. I’m not ready to say your significant other can’t come into the room.”
Paige Heffron, left, and her husband, Matt, posing for their maternity photoshoot at Lake Fayetteville in Fayetteville, Ark. February 2020. Photo courtesy of Paige Heffron.
The Heffron’s place their faith above everything, both wanting to live life for the Lord, and that is what they strive to do every day. They pray together and hold firm to their trust in Jesus. Heffron’s husband said, though whatever may come, they “let the peace of God, which passes all understanding” direct their lives.
“Paige and I decided at the beginning of our pregnancy to keep a good attitude,” Heffron’s husband said.
When they learned more about COVID-19 and the unknown effects on pregnant women and babies, they became fearful, but their faith did not waver. “Paige and I had to cry it out a little and then go back to our source,” which is Jesus, Heffron’s husband said.
Manning explained that because lung capacity is less during pregnancy and because COVID-19 attacks the lungs, “pregnant women are at increased risk of complications” if they contract the virus. She also said babies to those who are COVID-positive run more of a risk of having a NICU stay or getting incubated.
On March 30, Heffron went into labor. The plan was to have both Heffron’s husband and her mother, Johnston, in the room during delivery, but when they arrived at Washington Regional in Fayetteville, Arkansas, “the hospital did change their policy and I was unable to go to the hospital for the birth or to see the baby,” Johnston said.
Johnston was left waiting and after a long two days, the Heffron’s were released from the hospital with a healthy, 7lb 12oz baby girl.
“It was difficult to wait for them to come home,” Johnston said. “The worries continue about staying healthy and self-isolating.”
Heffron said “there’s something about new birth and new beginnings” and that in the midst of difficult times, it brings a sense of hope.
Arkansas has yet to hit its peak and “we’re not anticipated to hit the peak for another two to three weeks,” Manning said.
The stress of the unknown has lessened some for the Heffron’s and they feel fortunate their baby arrived before the worst of COVID-19 hits. Johnston said she is thankful to be helping them at home and that “now it is time to hunker down and just enjoy every moment” with their brand-new addition.
Paige Heffron, right, and her husband Matt, left, with their brand new baby girl who was born on March 30, 2020 at Washington Regional in Fayetteville, Ark. Photo courtesy of Paige Heffron.
The Coronavirus has killed 27 people in the U.S., and continues to affect people worldwide, which has caused the University of Arkansas to cancel upcoming study abroad trips.
There are no reported positive tests made in Arkansas, but there are 35 states in the U.S., that have reported cases, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The UofA has suspended summer trips to China and is checking in constantly to see if other travel suspensions need to be made, according to a University of Arkansas news release.
John Thomas, manager of University Communications at the UofA, said the University is keeping an eye on students who are currently in different countries for their studies. These countries include China and Italy.
“The UofA Communicable Disease Committee is monitoring conditions in every country where students are studying or plan to study in the near future,” Thomas said. “The university is requiring all registered student travelers to return to the U.S. immediately.”
The UofA chancellor , Joe Steinmetz, created a response team that will be handling COVID-19 information and the delays that could come out of it.
In order to avoid being infected, Thomas said it’s all about being educated on what to do and when to go to the doctor.
“Pat Walker is constantly reminding its campus community to take precautions as it does every year to prevent viruses,” Thomas said. “Like keeping your hands clean, not sharing cups, and avoiding close contact with anyone experiencing symptoms.”
Thomas said the university will continue to update its students and faculty with new information about COVID-19 when it becomes available.
The effects of homelessness in the lives of U.S. veterans and the difficulties of becoming a part of society post-military.
Courtney Schrock, left, on board the USS New Orleans LPD 18 on March 29, 2013. Photo by: Courtney Schrock
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.— At the Fayetteville Salvation Army Shelter, the living arrangements resembled those of a college dorm. Storage consisted of one small stand-up locker. There, Courtney Schrock and her two sons lived. The smell of urine and feces were putrid, and the space was gloomy. “You could tell people hadn’t showered in a long time,” Schrock said.
The environment was filled with children crying, people mumbling and moaning, loud fights, and people “tweaking out on meth,” Schrock said. “They would try to come and hold the boys and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Boundaries didn’t really exist in their minds.”
Schrock is a veteran who served in the Navy for five years. She was a petty officer third-class who was in charge of things like fixing motors and cleaning oil spills in the bilges.
She said that she was used to living a life of structure, serving her country the best she knew how, without having to worry about where she would live or if she would have food to eat.
While serving, she lost her kidney due to untreated kidney disease and her time was cut short. She was no longer deployable after her nephrectomy. When she was released, she was unaware of the many resources available to her, which led her and her family down a stressful path.
Courtney Schrock, right, with her grandfather Dave Peck, left, on graduation day from bootcamp. Great Lakes, Chicago. 2012. Photo by: Courtney Schrock.
This issue is familiar for too many U.S. veterans. There are over 37,000 veterans in a given day who are experiencing homelessness in the U.S., according to National Alliance to End Homelessness. Not only that, but these individuals deal with other aspects of post-military life such as Post Traumatic Stress disorder and other mental health issues.
In Arkansas alone, there are around 240 veterans who are homeless, according to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. John Gallagher, chair of the board of directors of the Northwest Arkansas Continuum of Care, which is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to ending homelessness in Northwest Arkansas, said that homelessness is “significantly elevated among individuals who have served in the U.S. military.”
Gallagher said there are many reasons behind the problem at hand that include mental health issues as well as “aspects of military culture—importantly an emphasis on self-reliance and dealing with adverse situations” that in turn “may discourage help-seeking among some veterans.”
Courtney Schrock, middle, and her two sons using transit provided by St. Francis House NWA. July 2019. Photo by: Courtney Schrock.
Asking for help is not encouraged in the military. “There is a level of mental toughness that you need to overcome any obstacle during extreme adversity,” Josh Medina, a Washington County Veterans Service officer and president of the Northwest Arkansas Veterans Coalition, said. Once you are out of the service, Medina explained that the level of “suck-it-up-edness” is gone, but the pride remains. He said it is important for individuals to realize that “diligence in your health isn’t weakness.”
Schrock said pride was a driving force behind the choices she made. “I didn’t talk about what I was going through,” she said. “It was really overwhelming.”
Medina said, though homelessness is a very big problem within the veteran community, it must also be made clear that “homelessness, for the most part, is just as much an issue of helping people through mental health issues.”
Yvette Schrock, Courtney’s mother, said her daughter went through years of hardship due to the less-than-ideal choices that were made and said it is hard as a mother watching her daughter “go down a self-destructing path and not being able to help.”
Postpartum depression, unplanned pregnancies, an abusive marriage, alcohol and drug abuse and addiction, unemployment, homelessness. These are things Schrock experienced for many years, and with bridges being burned between most of her family and friends due to loss of trust and lack of communication, she had no one to turn to.
Courtney Schrock and her son riding bikes at the Salvation Army Shelter. July 2019. Photo by: Courtney Schrock.
“We lived in hotels. We did that for almost six to seven months,” she said. Schrock worked at a factory job at Pinnacle Foods in Fayetteville, Ark., to pay the hotel bills, but she later lost her job because she could not continue to afford any kind of childcare for her two boys and needed to stay with them. She had no one else to watch them. “That’s when I went to the Salvation Army,” she said.
After living at the Salvation Army Shelter from May 2019 until Oct. 2019, she found Adrian DaVila at St. Francis House in Fayetteville, Ark., as well as many other resources she was not aware of previously. St. Francis House provides rent assistance and many other resources for individuals and families.
“When she was at the shelter, she struggled with getting services she needed,” DaVila said. “Either because she wasn’t getting the paperwork in time, or she didn’t manage her time to follow through on it.”
The Northwest Arkansas community is working together “to address this issue by working together via coordinated entry programs,” DaVila said. “If they access any homelessness service” through one of the local programs, “someone can connect them to the By Name List.” He said that would allow for service providers to reach out to individuals who are experiencing situations similar to Courtney’s.
Gallagher said they are continuing to develop “strategic partnerships between the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, veteran-oriented non-profits, and non-profit/governmental agencies that address homelessness and behavioral health conditions.”
Schrock now lives with her two boys in housing apartments provided by St. Francis House. She said St. Francis House has given her direction that she did not have before and “resources to get you where you want to go. You just have to do it.”
DaVila said Schrock is finally finding her place again in society. “She has, since becoming housed, worked on getting into VA Healthcare, is doing very well at work, and is working to get rid of her debt,” DaVila said. “I have watched her go from feeling very lost to becoming more self-empowered. She has done that. I couldn’t be more proud of her progress.”
Yvette Schrock said she has seen a lot of positive growth in her daughter, and though they struggled to mend their relationship for many years, they are “looking forward to rebuilding” their relationship and their family. “The most important thing I think to remember through all of this is, addiction is ugly, and unfortunately you can’t help someone until they are ready,” Yvette said.
Schrock expressed her frustration towards the issue regarding homelessness for veterans and said she hopes her experiences can help others who are experiencing similar situations. “I think homelessness for veterans is an issue,” she said. “Partly because of pride, but also because we don’t know where to turn to. Where do you turn to?”
Anna McKinney|University of Arkansas Journalism Student 