“I’ve spent my entire career telling stories. I never thought I’d become part of a story like this.”
This is how Stephanie Veto, Lehigh’s Visual Storyteller, begins her story of how COVID-19 has changed her life.
When the pandemic first hit, Steph and her family made a difficult decision: though she and her family were incredibly close with her parents, they would remain distanced out of an abundance of caution. The separation was particularly difficult for Steph’s daughter and her parents--especially Steph’s dad, Tom Makosky.
“Obviously, the worst thing you can do to grandparents that are super close to their grandchild is take her away,” she says. “Autumn, my daughter, was never just [my Dad’s] grandchild. He always referred to her as ‘my baby.’”
Like many other families, Steph’s tried their best to make the most of a difficult situation. In late May, however, that difficult situation took a tragic turn: She learned Tom had tested positive for COVID-19. Within a matter of days, he was in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator.
“I was spiraling. I couldn’t stop crying,” Steph says. “My dad was my rock. My hero. The coolest guy in the world. He was my guy and he was all alone.”
After Tom’s condition took a turn for the worse, he was transferred to Hershey Medical Center and placed on ECMO. Despite the doctors’ best efforts, it wasn’t enough. Steph and her family drove to Hershey to see him in his final moments.
“I was able to touch his hand. I told him how much I loved him and thanked him for everything. I told him that I would make sure his baby would have fun and go on adventures. I told him that she would never forget him. Even now, months later I’m stricken by crippling grief. … The last time I saw my dad was when he took his last breath.”
“I lost a huge piece of myself on June 3. There was life before, and life now. I’m still trying to figure out what life now is. I’ll never get my dad back. I don’t want to be part of this story, but I am.”
Steph’s message to the Lehigh community is simple: “Please wear a mask. Please social distance. If not for yourself, then for the people around you.”