It was just a little more than 24 hours after President Donald Trump left Walter Reed hospital after falling ill with COVID-19.
Trump, who received experimental drugs not available to other Americans infected with the disease, continued to downplay the pandemic, telling Americans 鈥渄on鈥檛 let it dominate your lives.鈥�
Yet in Northeast Ohio, where five strangers met to talk politics in a Your Voice Ohio Zoom meeting Oct. 6, .
For the five voters, the virus had overtaken their lives in large ways and small, whether they wanted it to or not.
Foregoing work
One Cleveland woman who didn鈥檛 want to be named in this article said she accepted an option to skip work this year at Cleveland Browns stadium because, at 62, she thought it was too dangerous for someone her age with underlying health conditions to deal with the public.
But that choice came with a price, as she and her husband, who continues work as an essential employee, now struggle to make ends meet.
Many in one house
Miguel Arriola continues to scramble to help his immigrant family, where several generations from different family branches share housing.
They can鈥檛 afford separate housing for everyone, he said, so they had to figure out the best way to shield the vulnerable inside, while others go out to work, possibly bringing the virus home.
Among other creative solutions, Arriola built a Plexiglas wall in their home so he and his father could at least see each other this year, even if they couldn鈥檛 touch.
COVID comes close
Sheilah Smith watched from afar as several people at her church, along with her nephew and his wife, fell ill with COVID-19, but recovered. But a few days before the Zoom meeting, she learned her ex-husband died from the disease, prompting her to be even more vigilant about protecting herself.
鈥淚 really can鈥檛 believe he died, but he did,鈥� she said.
Building a new business
Allan Brown watched his father鈥檚 cleaning business spiral down when several Greater Cleveland YMCAs canceled contracts during the pandemic, slashing his income in half.
Brown, who works from home writing music compositions, was putting in extra hours on the side trying to help his parents launch a new business selling things on Amazon during the pandemic.
They have each other
Faith Williams, a single mother with an autoimmune condition, is new to Ohio and was just feeling comfortable making friends in her church and community when the pandemic struck. She鈥檚 so worried about what would happen to her 12-year-old son if she fell ill with COVID-19 that she forbade him from playing outside, and the two spend most of their time at home. That, she said, has taken a mental health toll on both of them.
Watching mom鈥檚 dog
Susan Mykrantz, who lives in Wayne County, hasn鈥檛 hugged her mother since March 7. Her mom went to a rehab center to recover from a broken elbow and compression fracture in her back just before the pandemic hit.
Mykrantz was able to have a 鈥渨indow visit鈥� with her mom on Labor Day but said it wasn鈥檛 the same, adding that her mother missed her miniature dachshund, who Mykrantz is caring for.
鈥淪he doesn鈥檛 care if she sees me or not, but she really wants to see her dog,鈥� Mykrantz said, laughing.
Looking for an end
When news broke a few days before that , Smith said she hoped the president might rethink how the U.S. tackles the pandemic.
鈥淚 really thought it would change him. To see that it hasn鈥檛 made any difference, it鈥檚 just surreal,鈥� Smith said.
She told the group she鈥檚 a a pro-life, pro 鈥淏iblical marriage鈥� conservative.
鈥淵ou know, but at what expense do you hold onto this when the world is going to hell in a handbasket?鈥� she asked. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like selling your soul to the devil.鈥�
This year, after watching how Trump handled both the pandemic and issues of race and racial justice, Smith, who is Black, said she had some political disagreements with some of her white evangelical Christian friends. One woman broke off their friendship entirely.
鈥淚 miss her. It still hurts,鈥� Smith said, adding that she hoped to rekindle their friendship after the election.
Others in the group also fretted over a myriad of issues, particularly the economy. But everything circled back to the pandemic. They agreed little was going to improve until COVID-19 was under control.
鈥淚 just want somebody to tell me things are going to be OK,鈥� Mykrantz told the group, as her mother鈥檚 dachshund popped in and out of the meeting.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e right. Exactly,鈥� agreed the Cleveland woman who works at Browns stadium.
鈥淓ven if it鈥檚 people on this panel saying, 鈥榊ou know what, it鈥檚 going to be OK. We鈥檙e going to get through this,鈥� 鈥� Mykrantz said.
鈥淚 think there are so many Americans looking for that same thing,鈥� Arriola said.
鈥淲e can say the same thing, but it doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 going to happen,鈥� the woman who works at the stadium cautioned. 鈥淏ut I鈥檒l tell you, Susan, it鈥檚 going to be OK, honey. It鈥檚 going to be OK. If we keep our distance and keep our masks on, we鈥檙e going to beat it.鈥�
After a few minutes more of discussion, Smith said reassurances that the future would be brighter were not enough. She wanted something more.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 really want somebody to tell me it鈥檚 going to be OK,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 want someone that knows what to do to make it OK.鈥�
The group of strangers all nodded and agreed again.
Amanda Garrett is a reporter for the Akron Beacon Journal and can be emailed at agarrett@thebeaconjournal.com.
Want to volunteer for a future dialogue and receive $125 for two hours? Register at the .
About this project: This is one in a series of stories on issues Ohioans say are most important in this election year. More than 50 news outlets are collaborating in the project under the umbrella of , the nation鈥檚 largest sustained, statewide news media collaborative. In five years, Your Voice Ohio has brought more than 100 journalists together with more than 1,300 Ohioans for discussions on addiction, the economy and elections. Your Voice Ohio is managed and coordinated by the , a nonpartisan, nonprofit civic engagement organization. The project is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Democracy Fund and Facebook. The Jefferson Center for New Democratic Processes designs and facilitates the dialogues and digital forums. Retired Akron Beacon Journal managing editor Doug Oplinger directs the media work and can be reached at doplinger@yourvoiceohio.org.
