Another centenarian

In May and June, I shared with you the photos of two centenarians living here at our Retirement Home at Hilltop Gardens. Today, yet another resident turns 100, Carmen Bezzina. She has been here for almost 2 years and was always happy to see her two daughters visit her often. Still, as much as she depended on them for many little things when the lockdown occurred in March, she always felt so sad, and even though I tried to console her every day when I gave her communion, her smile only returned when the lockdown was lifted temporarily in early July. She was so cheerful and all smiles as she waited for her big day, today, August 16. However, 2 weeks ago, all visitors were prohibited from visiting their loved ones, and her smile was gone once again, and now tears start rolling down her cheeks as she feels so disappointed that her family cannot visit her. She may see them from behind a glass window, but it’s not the same for Carmen and for her daughters. People are up in arms with the Prime Minister of Malta and the Minister of Tourism, who opened the floodgates with many more coronavirus cases, as their priority was money, and not the health of our people. Our elderly are often the forgotten victims of this pandemic. They have already spent three full months deprived of the company of their relatives and loved ones. And they are now being punished because of the reckless attitude of those who are supposed to safeguard our well-being. We will treat Carmen with a subdued celebration today, as we did with the other two centenarians, Marjorie in May and Mona in June, but it will not be the same. Happy Birthday, Carmen.