Fighting Through The Loss

     The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a hard time, and for sophomore Olivia Marcille, it was one of the lowest points of her life. Marcille lost her grandpa on Jan. 9, 2022, to COVID–19. She was close with him and saw her grandpa as a father figure, mentor and a big impact in her day-to-day life. A year later, she’s still learning to move past it and understanding the grief that followed. 

     “Me and my family all get along super well,” Marcille said.

     Marcille is a family-orientated girl, living with her immediate family of five, including her two brothers and sister. Her grandma also lives with her, making six people in her house. Whether it’s watching her siblings or going on family vacations together, Marcille said she enjoys the time she gets with them.

     “My family is definitely one of the biggest influences in my life,” Marcille said.

     About a year ago, when society was treating COVID-19 as if it were gone, it reached Marcille’s doorstep. With her family thinking the virus had run its course, it was a shock when her entire family tested positive. 

     “Everyone had it in my house, so it was just very big,” Marcille said.

     Her family recovered from COVID-19, except one. Marcille’s grandpa didn’t make it. With Marcille relying on her family, especially her grandpa, she was devastated. 

     “He was kind of like my dad, so we – all my family – we just lived together with my grandparents,” Marcille said. “So whenever he passed away, it was a really big deal because he did everything for us.”

     With COVID-19 precautions and mask mandates gone, there are people who believe the pandemic response was overzealous or that COVID-19 wasn’t real. Some downgrade the coronavirus, treating it like a simple cold. Marcille said people don’t take it as seriously as it should have been taken.

     “It sucks, like a lot, whenever people say these things because it’s traumatizing to go through something like this,” Marcille said.

     A year later, and much has changed in Marcille’s life. Her family has started to move past the pandemic and learn how to deal with the grief of losing someone so close to them. Marcille herself is moving past it a day at a time and is focusing on repairing the connections with her family. She said she learned to be thankful for every moment she gets to spend with them, never knowing what could be the last.

     “I’m doing much better now,” Marcille said.