JLC Members During COVID

COVID Impact on JLC Members

By MEGGAN THOMPSON

This year has been filled with many challenges—with Lauren Martin Vogelpohl experienced some firm regulations perhaps the most disruptive being COVID. From around COVID. When traveling in Tennessee, she found becoming a first-time mother, to not being there for your masks were required, even outside, and tickets were issued own mother as she faces chemo, our members navigated on the spot for noncompliance. If you couldn’t pay at the time their way though some of life’s major events. of the issuance of the ticket, you were arrested. In the hotel, Meagan Yee transitioned from a professor at Xavier you could not ride in an elevator with someone not in your University to a first-time mother of triplets. Unfortunately, immediate group. her parents have yet to see or hold their first grandchildren. In addition to those social changes, Lauren expressed Moreover, she missed many of the exciting events that come concern for the impact to the economy and families as well: with being a first-time mom such as pregnancy and newborn “Hearing the despair in my friends’ posts after losing a job photo shoots and a baby shower. Her husband missed out on or not being deemed ‘essential’ was heartbreaking. Hearing the majority of prenatal appointments as well, as visitors the worry my parents expressed while my Mom finished and escorts were banned from medical centers. chemo treatments and was considered highly susceptible Katie Blank is in her first active year here in Cincinnati. In and at-risk if she was exposed to the virus takes a toll on addition to relocating and being four months into a new job, you mentally and emotionally… My partner is a firefighter. Katie is also in the process of planning a wedding—but had Watching him go to work to be possibly transporting exposed to move the date from November 2020 to October 2021! Her individuals then bringing it home was a real concern.” To biggest struggle has been fielding the opinions of others keep sane, she depends on a consistent workout routine and their general disregard for her emotions. “Many of our and lean eating. Her advice, “Take a breath, fill your cup, put vendors were not very flexible when it came to rescheduling. your oxygen mask on first and give yourself grace.” Many shared that ‘we are able to have the wedding based on the state guidelines’, so we had to forfeit our deposits and pay new ones, adding almost $10K in change fees and new deposits.”

Megan Yee’s Triplets- Joshua, Emiko and Adam.