I first met Karen when she agreed to host an I Am More exhibit in the busy lobby of North Shore Music Theatre, where she is the General Manager. She is open and easy with her generosity, and warmly welcomed us. I thought that would be the end of our connection, but as the pandemic unfolded in 2020, and I watched her from afar be forever changed by the events, I did the only thing an artist can do, and later handed her a surprise drawing to help her heal. Eventually it dawned on me that Karen was an obvious I Am More portrait subject, and she kindly agreed to participate.

In March 2020, my husband Steven and I were two of the early cases in the state of Massachusetts to contract the Coronavirus. On March 17^th, after an agonizing weekend of intensifying symptoms, we drove to the hospital.  Steven was immediately taken out of our car, weak and gravely ill. Steven turned around, blew me a kiss, and said I love you….and that was the last time I saw him. It was four hours before they were able to return for me in my car.

After 35 days, 31 of those days in a medically induced coma, I awoke to find I had lost my husband to COVID, along with my beloved father-in-law, a dear friend, and my job. I was in the hospital for 65 days, followed by a four-month recuperation in my sister’s home learning to walk again and to navigate the gravity of my new life.

I am a widow, a survivor, a warrior. But I am more than that. I am a woman full of gratitude for all I’ve been blessed with. I am a woman who loves people and their stories, their imperfections, and their vulnerabilities. I am a woman who continues to smile and laugh and live each day to the fullest with tremendous passion. It would be a disrespect to the healthcare workers and my family and friends who worked so hard to save me, physically and emotionally to do otherwise.

I honor my beloved husband, Steven’s memory every day, fully present, doing charitable work and extending kindness in his name. My story is heartbreaking but hopeful. Despite everything I’ve been through, I continue to be blessed with love by all who surround me. Tomorrow is promised to no one. Live every day like it’s your last. 

You can see Steven’s portrait here.