The Light in the Window
This memoir by Jonathan Severance chronicles how he endured his wife’s life-threatening medical crisis during the COVID-19 era. Drawing from archived text messages, hospital records, and deeply personal reflections, the narrator weaves together a detailed medical account, a love story, and a testament to the power of prayer and the support of friends. It is also a tribute to the many medical professionals who cared for his wife. Excerpts appear below.
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I stood there in the parking lot as the ambulance left for the hospital, first with lights flashing, then with siren wailing. Off it went, the sound fading in the distance as the shock took hold within me, registering louder and louder.
— from Chapter 1, “Out of the Blue”
— from Chapter 1, “Out of the Blue”
Harriett had rarely—if ever—removed that ring or her wedding band in over forty years of marriage. The rings were now where they did not belong: in a soulless, plastic box in my bureau.
— from Chapter 4, “Crashing”
— from Chapter 4, “Crashing”
Each dipping into and offering up of chilled water to parched lips required a soft touch, underpinned by a hard decision.
— from Chapter 8, “The GBS Roller Coaster”
— from Chapter 8, “The GBS Roller Coaster”
The EMTs wasted no time guiding their patient in workmanlike fashion down the restricted corridor leading to the ambulance bays. They took a quick turn to the right and disappeared. It would be the last time I saw Harriett in person for nearly three months.
— from Chapter 11, “Whisked Away”
— from Chapter 11, “Whisked Away”
There was another place I needed to be. I headed out in the car once again, knowing where I was going. But the trip was longer than anticipated, taking me back and forth across decades of my life.
— from Chapter 14, “Christmas Gifts for All”
— from Chapter 14, “Christmas Gifts for All”
Through this, Harriett was developing a reputation there as the hardest working patient seen in some time—perhaps ever. She was emerging as … a rock star.
— from Chapter 17, “Working Hard, Gaining Momentum”
— from Chapter 17, “Working Hard, Gaining Momentum”
Harriett’s climb, coming so soon after being released from Whittier, was likely astonishing for most observers.
— from Chapter 23, “Monadnock”
— from Chapter 23, “Monadnock”
I sensed she was allowing herself to be drawn into the waterscape and sky: blue on blue, in many a hue. Maybe this was a Zen-like moment, herself now empty, absorbed in the experience.
— from Chapter 24, “Driving Miss Daisy … a Little Crazy”
— from Chapter 24, “Driving Miss Daisy … a Little Crazy”
