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The Stories

Casey McVea, 49, Raymond Laborde Correctional Center, LA​

Being in prison is already hard, but working with those outcast by society, with a pure heart, by seeing their humanity and extending a helping hand is the definition of a true servant of God. I did not personally know Dr. McVea, but as a prisoner I truly appreciate all those in the medical profession who put their life at risk everyday to help those in need. This incredible man worked in the prison as a medical director until his life was over unexpectedly because of the coronavirus. He did not abandon his flock, nor did he cower away in fear.

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Guadalupe Ramos, 56, FMC Fort Worth, TX

Guadalupe Ramos disfrutaba de las barbacoas, pasar el tiempo con su familia y bailar. Su sobrina, Veronica Chavez, dijo que esperaba conocer a sus nietos y ver a sus hijos nuevamente. Ella le dijo a un periodista que cuando Guadalupe firmó su sentencia, “en ninguna parte decía que firmaría una sentencia de muerte.” Pero después de una intensa batalla contra el coronavirus, Guadalupe murió en el Hospital John Peter Smith en Fort Worth, Texas el 10 de mayo de 2020. Tenía solo 56 años.

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M.C., 25, a Deputy Press Secretary in Washington, D.C.

“While the worldwide pandemic was spreading from city to city, I was working for the Department of Energy to amplify all the work being done at our National Labs to find a treatment for COVID-19… I loved working from home, but the collaboration that happens in the office was lacking.”

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Tiffany Mofield, 43, Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, NJ

Tiffany, 43, passed away on April 29 in Edna Mahan Correctional Center for Women, leaving behind her two parents, three children, and four grandchildren. All are devastated. Shatifia describes her mother’s death as “unbearable” and like “a bad dream I can’t wake up from.” She writes, “I wanted you home but not like this… I waited almost 4 years for that woman to get back out here with me[.] I couldn’t wait to wake up to her cooking breakfast.” Shatifia feels “robbed” of the life she should have had: a life with her mom in it.

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James Thomas Hill, 72, ICE Detention: Farmville Detention Center​, VA

James Thomas Hill, 72, was a beloved family man whose presence was sought out by many. Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, James worked as a physician in Shreveport, Louisiana. His family knew him as a gentle, loving man. “He used to give great big bear hugs,” said his niece, Jessica Marostega Bob. “You could talk to him about things. He was reassuring, and he would always say, ‘Remember, I love you.’”

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A.C., 36, a writer in Mumbai, India

“2020 A dream come true …!!
No, not a nightmare… but a dream . A dream that made me slow down . Look at things … the same things that’s been around differently, the rush of life and running around in a busy bustling city sucks up the attention that everyone , everything around us deserves .”

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D.P., 31, an Assistant Professor of English Literature in New Delhi, India

“The government officials have estimated the numbers of virus infected people in Delhi itself is going to be more than 5 lakh by July end. It is quite a spectacle. A spectacle of numbers ! They have become so indispensable  in the way of perceiving reality. We are straightjacketed into a dense matrix of numbers. Big data, statistics, surveys, meter readings of power connection, grades and even citizen identity. Poetry gives me a fresh lease of life to breathe in this age of numbers.”

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J.F., 64, retired, in Tajimi City, Japan

“問題の根本は、いずれの場合も人々にある不安心理にある。得体が知れず、目に見えない新型コロナの急激な感染拡大状況に、いつ自分の身に襲いかかるか分からない不安や、感染した場合に重症化したり、後遺症が残ったり、場合によっては死に至るという不安があるからこそ人々は、政府が指導するように、手洗い・マスクを励行し、三密(密閉、密集、密接)を避け、極力移動を制限して、自粛生活を心がけている。”

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Locked Down Again

Locked Down Again Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on linkedin Share on whatsapp Share on reddit This post is in collaboration with the

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Life in Quarantine: Witnessing Global Pandemic is an initiative sponsored by the Poetic Media Lab and the Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis at Stanford University.

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