‘I will be glad when this is all over’: South Carolinians reflect one year into COVID
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A year of the coronavirus pandemic in South Carolina
Our lives have changed dramatically in the Palmetto State over the last year. Wearing masks has become normalized. Our kids are learning in virtual our hybrid environments. We haven’t been able to visit or see our loved ones in months. Everything seems to have become almost totally virtual.
We asked South Carolina residents what’s changed the most for them. Here’s what they had to say.
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One year ago, our lives changed. And, for some, things will never be the same again.
South Carolina has officially been living with the COVID-19 pandemic for a year. The first cases of the virus were reported in the Palmetto State on March 6, 2020.
With the coronavirus touching seemingly every avenue of life, The State wanted to hear from residents, in their own words, all of the different ways their experiences were impacted by the pandemic.
We received submissions from seemingly every corner of the state. We are deeply grateful for everyone who took time to write and to open up a bit of their lives to us.
What follows is a selection of the entries we received from towns throughout South Carolina. Other than some light editing, the stories are being shared verbatim.
A mother lost
This pandemic has changed everyone’s life so much. It is horrible to feel scared or panicked about going out into the public, not knowing if you are going to get this. But the worst thing that has happened to me and my family is that we lost our mom to this terrible virus. COVID took my mom away from us. She was more than just our mom, she was a grandmother to my daughter. So to anyone who reads this, don’t let others fool you into thinking it’s not bad. It is bad and very horrible to a lot who get it. I will be glad when this is all over and we can all try to get back some of our life that we had before this pandemic. Plus, it would be great to get back to normal work and school schedules so we can pay our bills better. — Lisa Venier, Chesterfield
A rare Florida run
In November, after quarantining for two weeks, I drove to Clearwater, Florida, to meet my new great-granddaughter. Since then I have been staying in my house most of the time to stay safe. Amazon and Shipt are my only retailers. My two Burmese cats and my dog are my only company. However, my Nextdoor neighbors are always around to say, “Hi.” I can’t wait to be able to get out again and to go back to Florida to see my great-granddaughter! — Marie Comer, Greenville
‘Extreme homebodies’
COVID has turned us into extreme homebodies. We used to enjoy eating out at least three times a week. We also used to go see friends or have them over. Now we email or very occasionally meet up with one or two outdoors, six feet apart. We have groceries delivered. We cook every meal. We don’t have cleaners in our home. We are active seniors who had to cancel two trips. One was to Charleston for Spoleto, where we had bought tickets for five days of shows and booked a hotel. — Susan Herr, Myrtle Beach
Friends gone too soon
There was an article that said soon every adult American would know of someone affected by COVID-19, which though it’s not a game, if it was it would be one hell of a game of tag when you’re “it.” I still hear the voices of two close friends who were tagged. One was in a desperate race against time. We strategized options to consider toward getting him medical assistance. He succumbed a few days later, and once the protocols are over we’ll scatter his ashes. The other friend called saying, “Well, I got it and I don’t know how I got this stuff, I’m scared and I don’t want to die.” The how didn’t matter so much to me, as I wanted to do something to help him, to comfort him or to ease his mind off dying. “I can’t taste much of anything,” he said, which led me to say, “Well, if I can figure out a way to get it to you, I’ll bring you some liver pudding.” He laughed and responded, “I’d sure like to have some of that liver pudding from SC.” (He was in Richmond, Virginia). I watched his home-going services on live stream while sitting in my car. Damn, I miss them both. My own existence has been impacted in ways I never imagined, as each week someone I know is tagged with it. — Terry R. Scott, Columbia
Exercised caution, but the virus still found them
When COVID-19 started in March 2020, we were like everyone else. This was going to be a short virus that affected large gatherings and big cities. Fast forward to 2021 and my husband and I are in quarantine after testing positive. We thought we did all the right things by staying away from our families, grandchildren and activities. We became a mini CVS pharmacy with everything needed to keep us safe. COVID-19 is not “if,” but “when.” This last six weeks has been a roller coaster of health challenges for normally healthy people. We are truly blessed by the support we have received and look forward to healthier SC living very soon. — Lynda Holshouser, Conway
Silver linings
This pandemic was filled with losses and fear of what’s to come next. Life can be given today and gone tomorrow. This pandemic taught me to keep my loved ones even closer. COVID-19 has many downfalls, but the two best things to come out of this are homeschooling and no sicknesses being brought home from school. Though homeschooling is tough, the pandemic let me see just how much I love my kids being at home, away from in-person learning, getting individual help at their own pace with no phone calls from teachers or worries about behavior. I can monitor my own kids. Also, my kids have not been sick with a single cold or brought any stomach bugs or pinkeye home since being home from school. I realized that I have really enjoyed spending all this time inside with my family, and I am hopeful that we will be able to see more family soon. Until then we will remain safe and hope you do, too. — ND Milligan, St. Matthews
Love for co-workers
While I’ve always appreciated my co-workers, I have found myself during the last year to be extra thankful for them. I work in a psych hospital, and the pandemic hasn’t been easy on us. We have all continued to press through and support not only each other but our patients. My co-workers have gone the extra mile to make sure my patients get to virtually visit with their family since they haven’t seen them in person for over a year now. They’ve gotten creative with activities to keep them occupied, especially during holidays. Even though everyone is experiencing stressors outside of work, we continue to show up for our patients and each other. When things have gotten rough they’ve been a rock solid support system. And I’ve watched them continue to be selfless and choose to get vaccinated to protect not only themselves, but our patients. — Elizabeth Rossi, Columbia
Everyday is a struggle
On March 12, 2020, my life completely changed when I became ill with this novel virus. I was a 39-year-old, active, self-employed artist, but most importantly a mom. I had no prior medical conditions. With the initial illness I wasn’t hospitalized, but now I’m just a shell of my former self. Everyday has been a struggle this past year as my symptoms constantly change. With very little answers and even fewer treatments available for people like me, it has been the most devastating year of my life. — April Partridge, Beaufort
Missing ‘smiling faces and beautiful places’
I am living separate and apart from the real world since COVID-19 precautions began. My daughter and only child is a medical social worker in Greenville. I have not seen her in 14 months. I had two total knee replacements planned for 2020 and had to self-isolate at home. During all of this, I turned 70 years old. I have groceries delivered unless my husband braves the checkout lines. Amazon Prime is my go-to for everything from den lamps to toilet paper. I have been an avid voter registration volunteer, but now teach the skill online to people who can’t go out in public. I do Zoom meeting attendance for all of my groups that once were social opportunities. I have had to Zoom funerals for both relatives and friends who were COVID-19 victims. I miss “smiling faces and beautiful places,” human contact, and simple things such as going to the movies and library. My greatest fear is that my separate world will become my new normal. — Elizabeth Jones, Columbia
A changed man
I am a changed man. Before COVID, I worked in a brick-and-mortar building, replete with cubicles and all the cacophony one would imagine raging in a modern office. But when things changed drastically, I was relegated to working from home. Teleworking, they called it. Having the staff report to the office was considered inappropriate in light of people dying.
Consequently, over time, I adapted to this new way of working, learning to relax more and accepting what life brought me. I soon discovered the freedom of being at home and the solace it provided. In spite of the social isolation, I found I could really think in this quiet environment, devoid of annoying interruptions outside the cubicle walls of my usual work place.
I learned to enjoy being a stay-at-home worker, taking pleasure in the company of my two cats who will often visit me and look out the window next to my jury-rigged work station in my former dining room. Learning the rhythms of the neighborhood, I became acquainted with the familiar hum of the mail truck circling the courtyard and the FedEx, UPS, and Amazon trucks which began to arrive with increasing frequency to my neighbors. The activity outside my dinette window provided a dazzling display of birds of vibrant colors all vying to be the dominant one at the feeders, or content to peck on the ground below, enjoying the remnants of what had fallen. Now and then, a needy squirrel might shimmy his way up the feeder pole and steal his share from the birds, quickly running away from my approach and scurrying up a tree, adding to the nature show, enjoyed by my two feline friends as well.
Despite the distances involved, technology still allows me to contribute to projects and attend meetings with my co-workers. My work-at-home environment has become a blessing, a welcome respite from the daily grind I had grudgingly accepted for over 40 years. The worst of times still often contains grains of goodness, so I am excited for what tomorrow may bring. And the gas money saved? Bonus! — David Galassie, Columbia
Island life
I retired and moved from Connecticut in June 2020 to be close to my sister, who has lived here since the 1980s. I’ve vacationed in the area for many years and came to love the area and the weather. I had plans to spend my senior years volunteering in the community and making new friends. Due to COVID and my age, I’ve put those plans on hold until I’ve been vaccinated. My sister will always be my best friend, but I am looking forward to meeting new people. My move to St. Helena Island was one of the best decisions of my life. Loving the Lowcountry life! — Patricia Chester, St. Helena Island
An immeasurable loss
On July 29, 2020 COVID-19 took my daddy. My first love, my hero, my protector. My daddy was the greatest man I have ever known. He was a God-fearing man, he loved the Lord with all his might and he loved his family and friends. Because of COVID-19 my mama is without her husband of 50 years, my sister and I are without our daddy, and our children are without their granddaddy who they called “Dee.” We had to FaceTime daddy goodbye on July 29 since we weren’t allowed in the hospital. His precious nurse helped him FaceTime us, and this was the last time we saw him alive. He was talking, sitting up in the bed, but COVID-19 had completely taken over his lungs. He told us he loved us and that we would be fine. My daddy knew he was going to see Jesus and he did just that around 7 p.m. that night. We weren’t fine. We still aren’t fine. We mustered our way through Thanksgiving and Christmas. His 80th birthday was on November 25. Instead of cake and celebrations we took a flower to his grave. COVID-19 took my daddy on July 29 and it also took a part of me, my mama and my sister. We will never be the same. There is a void in our family, an empty seat at the dinner table. Although we know he is in Heaven, he is whole and in no pain, we are heartbroken here. Each day is a struggle. COVID-19 will never go away for us. It took an important part of us away. —Tricia Crouch, Saluda
This story was originally published March 5, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "‘I will be glad when this is all over’: South Carolinians reflect one year into COVID."
