Woman fights off coronavirus, reunites with 91-year-old mother through glass window

LEXINGTON, Mass. — A woman who recovered from coronavirus reunited with her 91-year-old mother during a visit through a glass window at a nursing home in Lexington.

The woman worked with nursing home staff to surprise her mother and plan the important reunion.

Nancy MacDonald spent close to 20 days fighting off coronavirus. After not seeing her mother--who suffers from dementia--for almost a month, she decided she couldn’t wait any longer.

"I was saying, ‘It’s me!’ And she said, ‘Is that Nancy?’ And I said, ‘Yes it is. I love you.’ And she said, ‘I love you!’ MacDonald said.

MacDonald, who lives in Salem, was diagnosed with coronavirus in early March.

"It started for me with a dull ache across my forehead. I then felt a tightening of my chest," she said.

Over the next 15 days, her symptoms only got worse and with underlying health issues both she and her mother were concerned.

“She was really nervous and I was very concerned about her, not being able to see her,” MacDonald said.

Her mother, Patricia Keane, suffers from dementia and is in a senior living center. So once she recovered, her daughter knew a phone call wouldn't be enough.

“When I got out of the car, she was sitting in a chair in the glass den area,” MacDonald said. “As I got closer to the window, she got up and started peering out. And I had a sign, just telling her I loved her.”

Working with the director of the nursing home, she surprised Keane on Wednesday with a face-to-face phone call, separated only by a glass window.

Both said “I love you” to each other.

“She felt a lot of relief, I know. I could see it in her face and as did I. So it was really a special moment,” MacDonald said.

While the visit was brief, it’s a moment MacDonald says will last her a lifetime.

“Just to see her smiling and telling me that she loved me just was precious, so I’m very grateful for that moment and I’ll cherish it forever,” MacDonald said.

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