Lombard couple stricken with COVID-19 able to share last day together
The children of a longtime Lombard couple have created a touching visual tribute to their late parents. And they couldn't have done it without the support of administrators and the nursing staff at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove.
David and Sondra Zorn, who were married for more than 64 years, died within days of each other last month - Sondra on Jan. 5 at the age of 83, and David on Jan. 9 at the age of 89.
Their children then combined two photos of the couple's clasped hands. One is from the Zorns' wedding day on Aug. 17, 1957, and the other is of them in the hospital on Jan. 4.
"They're not in pain any more," said daughter Deanna Wilkins of Lombard, one of the Zorns' five surviving children.
Wilkins said her parents had been dealing with major health issues before they tested positive for COVID-19 in late December.
David Zorn not only had been diagnosed with dementia, but he also was suffering transient ischemic attacks, or mini strokes, about once a week. Sondra Zorn had a stroke in October.
"Her health was up and down," Wilkins said. "She was doing rehab, but she never really excelled."
On Dec. 29, David was hospitalized at Good Samaritan. And when Sondra was about to be transferred to Good Samaritan, the Zorn children reached out to the hospital staff.
Good Samaritan has single-room occupancy policies for privacy and safety reasons, according to hospital patient relations specialist Johnny Gillespie. But in the case of the Zorns, Gillespie approached the emergency department to bend the rules.
"We made an exception for this situation based on the fact that they were both declining, and that they were both together for decades," said Gillespie.
The hospital staff pushed the beds next to each other.
"Once my mom got in the room and she could hear my dad's voice, you could tell that she knew because her whole body relaxed," Wilkins said. "They put the bed rails down, and we put their hands together."
After his wife's death, David Zorn was transferred to a hospice. Wilkins is grateful that he held on long enough so her youngest sister, Kristi LaHuis, could arrive from Sault Ste Marie. Wilkins said LaHuis drove overnight from Michigan's Upper Peninsula through an ice storm, arriving at the hospice at 5:30 a.m., about three hours before their father died.
The Zorns' children have shared the dual photos of their parents' hands with several of their former caregivers, including Good Samaritan nurse Erin Stafford, who keeps the photo at hand as a reminder of how Sondra Zorn was able to be with her husband in her final moments.
"Throughout this pandemic there have been many sad moments." Stafford said. "It's hard for us to deal with everything."
In life, Sondra Zorn worked as an office and day care worker in addition to being a Lombard zoning commissioner. David Zorn worked as a salesman. Both loved animals and regularly attended Grace Community Church in Lombard.
In talking with different media, Wilkins declined to discuss her parents' vaccine status. The couple were interred at Arlington Cemetery in Elmhurst.
"We really appreciate Johnny and everyone at Good Samaritan for all they've done for our family," Wilkins said. "It made the closure easier."