Dear Governor Ige;
Have you ever had to self-isolate for 14 days? No? Thankfully, me neither.
However, during these past two weeks, I felt like I have, because my family who decided to come visit me had to.
Can you believe it was my mom’s second time of a self-14-day quarantine? How much do you love your children and grandchildren? Would you self-isolate for a total of 28 days just to be with loved ones?
I am not going to hold my breath for Oct 15. I am disappointed that you have postponed the self-14-day quarantine requirement three times, and I would not at all be surprised if you keep postponing it. (Please do not).
I am a proud graduate of Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School and Kaua‘i High School.
I am also a proud graduate with bachelor of science in nursing and doctor of nursing practice degrees.
More recently, I am the proud parent of my son, Matthew, who I named after my father, who was born in May 2020.
I now live on the mainland, and have since 2008. My parents and sister live on Kaua‘i.
Luckily for me, my mom was able to come and help me in the following weeks of my son’s birth. Upon arrival back to Kaua‘i, she of course had to self-quarantine for 14 days, which she did. I truly believe that there is nothing as strong as a mother’s love.
My father and sister decided to wait until the mandatory 14-day quarantine was lifted. However, it never did. After you kept pushing it back from Sept. 1, then to Oct. 1, they decided to come visit anyways, before my son was not a baby anymore.
It was announced that the quarantine will be lifted on Oct. 15, and I for one am not holding my breath.
I was shocked that my family even decided to come, because they knew they would have to self-quarantine for 14 days upon their arrival back to Kaua‘i.
They had already canceled their two previous trips, and I was done mentally getting my hopes up.
Even though they had no symptoms of COVID-19 nor had they been around anyone who was positive for COVID-19, per your mandate they still had to self-quarantine for 14 days.
Somehow, they made it through. Maybe it was having my dad hold his first grandson, his namesake, or maybe it was seeing my son smile the biggest smile in the world when he saw his grandma again.
All I want you to know is that these past two weeks were not easy.
For these past two weeks, I have felt like I was there suffering with them. It is difficult for me to realize what visiting me cost them. Luckily, they are free now. It has been two weeks since they left, and now our entire family is relieved.
I wanted to write this initially out of anger and frustration, but I have since learned from reading the bestselling book, “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, that “People reflect your behavior back to you.” So instead of anger and frustration, I am working towards forgiveness. I do not want to harbor ill feelings.
According to your biography on governor.hawaii.gov, it says that you have three children, Lauren, Amy and Matthew, who are currently pursuing their careers on the mainland.
I just hope that when you and Dawn go to visit them and any grandchildren in the future that they have, you and Dawn do not have to do what my family went through to visit me and my son (their grandchild and nephew).
But please know that I am not without awareness and assurance that myself and my family are done with the mandatory, 14-day self-quarantine.
•••
Mallory Newman, DNP, FNP-C, is a resident of Salt Lake City.
