Thinking About My Mother Today

Its been 5 days since my mother's aide called and told me that she had her first weekly test in our Florida nursing home in Boca Raton, since the beginning of this crisis and was Covid-19 positive. She is not  symptomatic she is still very healthy with no symptoms.

Not so for my Mom.  She is in the hospital after being left in isolation in the nursing home without eye glasses for 5 days and hydration and eating decline along with lack of ability to wake she presented with a fever.

Now its up to my brother and I to decide whether to allow the hospital to insert a feeding tube into her. She is breathing really well with oxygen but is not alert.  She told me a couple of weeks ago she was done.  Her Parkinson's is in the final stage of its course.  My problem is this. If she wants to stop eating and end her life then putting in a feeding tube does not allow her to do this. I would take her home and feed her by hand before I would send her back to isolation in the nursing home.

For today I want to share one remembrance about my Mom when I began my business.  My Mom comes from a family of retailers.  When it was time to go to Miami to start buying my inventory my Mom had already launched the Bernard Chaus company outlet in Secaucus and several other locations. She met the landlords, staffed the stores, trained the associates and selected which merchandise to ship to the outlets from the warehouse in Secaucus behind her outlet.  When I followed my mother into the warehouse all the guys would say hello #MrsSchachter.  She was loved and her staff and family members of the #Chaus family remain close to her. 

For me she came to help when I needed boxes. I remember the very first day we went to see a box man named Rody. Mr. #Rody and his wife have been selling jewelry boxes for 30+ years together happily in downtown Miami.  The love and support we received that day was offered by most of the jewelry community that I entered in 1997.  I watched the other big store buyers come into showrooms and my mom would sneak over their shoulder to see what items they were selecting for their businesses.  She came to Miami to see the Marlins World Series victory parade in 1997 down Flagler and the #MiamiHeat down Biscayne.  She worked full time until age 81.

Its been so amazing to grow old enough have this much extra love to share.  With grays come endurance.  My Mom has white hair now. She is pure as snow. Innocent like a young child.  I know her angels are nearby.

Blessing to all whose family has been saddened by the terrible virus called #sarscovid-19