I am older and I am normally on the couch a lot due to side effects from medicine I take for cancer as well as a really painful hip situation that is waiting for an operation, which was delayed because of the virus. One really tough time, or I should say, the only tough time I've had during this pandemic, is when I had to go to Beth Israel for treatment. That meant leaving the island, which I consider very safe, and having to part from proper protective equipment and materials. I had to drive down to Boston, get into the hospital, do what I had to do, and return back to the Island safely. I was very, very nervous about that. I was so nervous that I even got a hold of somebody I knew who had been going in for chemo at Mass General. I would have to say that that was the most dramatic experience I’ve had during this. It was really scary for me, and I had to practice like an athlete— you know how you have to go over the moves in your head? That’s what I was doing— going over every single step of the way mentally because I was terrified of catching this virus.
I think people are really very educated here in Great Diamond Island, Maine. My husband and I are two of the older people on the Island, and I have cancer. But people on the island as well as my friends and family all understand that we’re at risk. The one thing I wish people are more aware of, not particularly in Maine but in the United States, is how important it is to isolate. People need to quarantine and stay home to not spread COVID-19. Not doing so can become very problematic.
My family is all from the Boston area, and they’re right in the midst of it, so my husband and I are very happy to be here. I am very grateful for where I am. I feel like Great Diamond Island is a very safe place to be.
—Nancy
Written by: Siobhan Kelley
