My Husband and I Didn’t Hug For a Month
It wasn’t by choice, and it made it that much harder
Ed and I hug daily. It is our go-to expression of love that isn’t forced or demanded. Our calm, warm embraces are gentle and calming — they lower our blood pressure and help keep us connected. Hugging was so natural until Ed contracted Covid-19. The illness was frightening; the separation next to unbearable. Isolated in the bedroom, Ed and I were no longer able to hug at all.
No matter how painful distance can be, not having you in my life would be worse. — Anonymous
While most Ontarians are faced with a fourteen-day quarantine period, the professionals told us Ed’s liver transplant made him capable of shedding the virus for longer. They directed him to isolate for twenty days which later was extended. Ed made it his mission to do whatever it took to not pass the virus on to me. While he fought against the deadly illness, neither of us expected the lack of physical contact would prove to be one of the hardest parts of all.
When Ed was feeling up to it, I’d sit at the bedroom threshold where we conversed, joked, and laughed. But loving words and chicken soup can only get you so far on your road to wellness. Ed told me he longed for the day he could hold…
