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INDY KOEHLER, KHS French teacher, lived a block away from them when she was a child. There was her Uncle Walt, who Koehler described as a fixture of her childhood, and Aunt Mary, who held a special place in her life as her Godmother. And of course there were Uncle Walt and Aunt Mary's nine children, some of whom were Koehler's classmates and the closest cousins she had. "[They] always were the ones who hosted Christmas and Thanksgiving," Koehler said. "I mean Aunt Mary would cook for the hordes and the masses. I can't tell you how many holidays in my childhood we spent at their house." Now, when it matters most, Koehler cannot see them. Instead, Koehler had to tell her cousins she was sorry through a text. Sorry their father-her Uncle Walt-was diagnosed with COVID-19 April 15. Sorry they had to work so hard just to see him in the hospital, and even then they had to suit up before they entered his room. Sorry for their loss on Saturday, April 18, when Uncle Walt passed away. And sorry there can be no funeral. Koehler cannot tell her cousins in person she is sorry for their loss, and she has not called them out of fear they are overwhelmed by the situation. "Under normal circumstances, you lean on your family," Koehler said. "And you can't do that. You can do that on the phone. You can do that on Zoom. But nothing replaces a hug, that physical release and support, the physical act of being hugged. You can't do that." Koehler was particularly worried about how Aunt Mary would grieve following the loss of her husband of 60 years. But that worry quickly changed to fear when Koehler learned Aunt Mary had just been diagnosed with coronavirus April 21. "What a circumstance to lose your life partner in," Koehler said. "Now they find out she has this diagnosis and her kids can't come and see her. She's only got a couple of kids who can see her because they've been exposed as well. It just seems like such a horrible, lonely way to die, and it's robbing my cousins of a way to mourn their dad. There's no closure because everything is on hold." Koehler said she was frustrated that other people were not putting their lives on hold. She heard students say they were ignoring the guidelines, and she watched as people protested on the news and walked through stores without masks. Through tears, Koehler implored people to follow social distancing guidelines. "I would just ask that people take this seriously because dying alone, being robbed of your chance to say goodbye and mourn a family member isn't right," Koehler said. "If it means you have to stay at home for a few weeks, I think it's a sacrifice we can make."

Cindy Koehler

Story by ETHAN PETER Photo by EMMA WRIGHT

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KHS JOURNALISM CORONAVIRUS ISSUE