‘The Virus Is Still Here’: Founder Of Yellow Heart Memorial Reflects On Lifting Of COVID Restrictions

Rosie Davis’ mother died after contracting COVID-19. The Carrollton resident shared her thoughts with us about that loss in light of Governor Greg Abbott’s announcement that he’s lifting the statewide mask mandate next week.

Transcript: 

Rosie Davis (right) and her mother Mary Castro (left). Photo credit: Rosie Davis.

I started a memorial after losing my mother, Mary Castro. It’s called the Yellow Heart Memorial. My mother was in a nursing home when she contracted the virus. My mother started having symptoms of COVID and on May the 12th, she was transported to a local hospital where she fought the virus for five days and then she lost her battle with COVID on May the 17th. 

We did not get to facetime with my mom the whole time she was in the hospital. I don’t even know what my mom’s last moments were like. I don’t know if there was a nurse in there with her or if she died alone. You know, we didn’t even get to give her the celebration of life that she deserved. So there was nothing about the whole experience, my mom passing away, her funeral, nothing about that was normal. It left us empty. We have no closure. 

The Yellow Heart Memorial remembers the lives lost to COVID-19. Photo Credit: Rosie Davis.

So it’s been really traumatizing for me, as her daughter. When I heard the news about Abbott yesterday, it felt like my mom died all over again. I can’t even wrap my head around how he’s thinking or why he’s doing what he is when he knows that our numbers reflect that it’s dangerous to open the state right now. 

What I want people to know is that just because we see restrictions being lifted, just because our governor is overriding science, that doesn’t mean that the virus is gone. The virus is still here. The virus is still taking lives everyday and people need to understand that. They’re not exempt from the virus. You know, it’s scary because I feel like people are going to take Governor Abbott’s words and they’re going to live like there’s no virus anymore. I’m scared to see the results of that. 

This has been lightly edited for clarity.