The aged are the most vulnerable when it comes to COVID-19. Keeping them in isolation has been hard for families who rely on grandparents to keep traditions and the language alive, whereas the death of so many elders is painful for our community. Young George Kouroumalis wrote a tribute to his grandmother Dimitra Kostopoulos who was buried on Monday, and he speaks of his family’s tragedy and the pain of not being with her in the final hours of her life:
COVID-19 has transformed our lives, from the manner each of us go to work, school and socialise with our families and friends. Businesses have been strained and the anxiety associated with so many changes have been felt by the entire state.
The hardest change some of us have had to make is through caring for and seeing our sick relatives suffer in silence and on their own.
I often see my grandparents’ generation as being the undisputed heroes of our community. Many of whom came to this country on a promise that they would escape the troubles of their homeland to build a better life for themselves and their families.
For me personally and for most of my Greek-Australian peers, they have played an pivotal role in every aspect of our lives.
As the COVID-19 crisis reached its second phase and with positive cases increasing daily, there was always the thought that with this generation being the most vulnerable, that we would need to protect them at all costs.
Thousands of elderly Greek Australians would seemingly have this protection in aged care and hospital settings across the state, a place families would entrust in being able to ensure the ultimate care for their loved ones who needed it most.
Then the news hit, the spread started to reach the aged care settings and some of the particular establishments that were looking after our grandparents’ generation.
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For my family, the fear of having my yiayia travelling between care and hospital was something that became real. Sadly, last weekend we received the news that an outbreak had occurred where she was being cared for. At first we were told she had tested negative to COVID-19 and upon a re-test she was once again found negative. So, we hoped for the best and were largely optimistic. Despite having some health troubles, she was starting to find her feet again and was on the mend.
We received another call last Saturday to tell us yiayia was showing severe symptoms and would need have a third test. Our hearts began to sink. This just didn’t feel right.
Being stuck at home as part of Victoria’s Stage 4 restrictions, we felt nothing but helpless and having read many stories online about those suffering without their families around them, we finally started to understand how horrific situations like this were.
On the Sunday yiayia was confirmed as being infected with COVID-19, after the third test came back positive. She passed away 24 hours later. While we managed to get a quick face time call in thanks to a brave nurse fully decked out in PPE gear, we could not see her and she had to pass away without the family that she adored by her side.
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Grandma Dimitra in her youth, 1966
Grandma Dimitra
While everyone has their thoughts, theories and stance on what is happening with COVID-19, for families who have lost their very own family member, not being there by the side of someone who gave everyone so much is nothing short of heartbreaking and something that has been hard to accept.
Dimitra Kostopoulos had arrived in Australia in 1966 on the Patris from Gargalianoi near Kalamata, with her husband Dimitri and daughters Angela and Georgia. In those 55 years, yiayia proudly created a new life, built her family, and played a huge role in the lives of her grandchildren and now great grandchild.
She would personally encourage involvement in our community and was proud to see her family continue living the Greek way of life while assimilating into the Aussie way of life. My involvement in soccer and with some Greek-founded clubs, largely South Melbourne, would be something that they would mention to everyone she knew.
She is my hero and just like all others who passed away due to COVID-19, she deserved so much better than to have died alone. Those who have passed away without being COVID-19 have also had to suffer, as having numbers capped at funerals have been equally as heartbreaking as families are unable to grieve the loss of their loved ones.
Let’s hope this nightmare ends soon.
Rest in peace, yiayia.
