HOW IT BEGAN
“The Covid Ribbon Memorial started as a seed of a thought, a care, a concern in my mind and in my heart.”
Shared Pain In Losing a Loved One.
I know what it feels like to lose a loved one. I unexpectedly lost my first born infant son. The pain of his death was excruciating and unbearable for many years. I thought my heart was permanently broken and I would never find happiness or heal.
The Names & Numbers.
On May 24, 2020 the Sunday New York Times paper listed the names of the first 100,000 people who died from Covid-19 in the United States. I was deeply saddened and overwhelmed.
I couldn’t comprehending the staggering number of people dying from Covid-19. I watched the numbers tick up daily. How do I wrap my head around the growing numbers? How do I humanize their losses?
The Inspiration.
As I watched the death toll quickly mount, my heart hurt for the families and friends who were losing their loved ones to Covid-19. While my loss occurred many years ago and its impact stays with me, my personal experiences with tragedy inspires me to support others facing similar sufferings.
The Magnitude.
I wanted to create something meaningful. My head, my heart and my soul desired to create something that was tangible, physical, visual, and dimensionally interactive for the viewers. The story, reality and magnitude of the lives lost needed a voice. I wanted to authentically and candidly ignite a reaction that when viewed, people would go, “Wow! This is an enormous loss of lives. How can we help?”
One by One.
I had a seed of an idea. I envisioned tying a ribbon for every life lost to Covid-19 in the U.S. I wasn’t sure I could tie hundreds of thousands, however, I thought I could start with Florida. At that time in mid-November 2020, there were 16,000 Covid-19 deaths.
Beyond Florida.
As Covid-19 losses have grown, more ribbons have been added. As of the end of May 2021, there are over 37,000 ribbons. The Covid Ribbon Memorial has expanded beyond Florida into other states such as Connecticut, New York and Minnesota. For more information on joining those states or starting this project in your state, contact Cathy Tobias here.