Isabelle Mikhail, 94, died on March 18, 2020 at the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver. She was the eighth person to die at the home after testing positive for COVID-19. Her daughter, May Mikhail, helped care for her in her final days as staff themselves grew ill.
May Mikhail was with her 94-year-old mother until the end, as her health deteriorated at the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver, where Canada’s first COVID-19 death was recorded on March 8.
Her mother, Isabelle Mikhail, became the eighth person to die of COVID-19 at the B.C. long-term care home.
“It was difficult,” May Mikhail said about about her mother’s final days. “We were trying to keep her hydrated and comfortable. It was clear to me fairly soon into this that she wasn’t doing well.”
Isabelle Mikhail died March 18. All told, 11 residents have died and more than 40 additional people have tested positive for the virus, along with 21 staff members.
Mikhail commended employees who care for residents at Lynn Valley, but said the deadly outbreak forced her and others to quickly step in when residents and staff fell ill. Eventually, she and her partner pitched in themselves, providing meals, cleaning up and even taking care of residents.
Not a good time to visit
May Mikhail, who lives eight blocks from the nursing home, says the crisis began March 6 when she went to to visit her mother, who had dementia. She was greeted with signs on the front door warning of suspected coronavirus cases.
Staff told her it wasn’t a good time to visit.
She was invited instead to attend an emergency meeting the next day. There, along with dozens of other family members, she learned residents and staff members had contracted the virus. “And I was reassured that things would be OK,” she said.
But they weren’t.
She next visited the centre on March 8 around dinner time. “We walked into real mayhem.” she said.
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