COVID restrictions add to family’s pain

WEST WYOMING – Mary Ann Skok was getting ready to go for a walk with a friend on April 27 when she started to feel sick.

Within hours, she was at the hospital in a coma which took her life several days later.

Her husband, Dan Skok, said because of restrictions dictated by the coronavirus pandemic, he missed vital moments during the last days of his wife’s life, moments that he won’t get back.

He was expecting, for example, to be able to ride with his wife in the ambulance on her way to Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, but wasn’t able to do that because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Dan and Mary Ann had just sold the Lighthouse Bar in West Wyoming in February and were looking forward to spending more time with each other. Instead, Dan suffered through losing his wife in the midst of strict COVID-19 rules.

Their daughter, Kristi Skok, said once her mother got to the hospital, the family was told that they wouldn’t be able to see Mary Ann, 55.

But, that’s when the kindness of daughters and nurses kicked in, Kristi said, and the family was able to see their mother one-on-one.

“I think my father is upset because we couldn’t be with her together as a family,” she said.

Mary Ann lost her ability to speak shortly after she became ill, but her husband believes that she tried to speak to him in her last hours, but he wasn’t there because of the limitations imposed by the hospital.

When Mary Ann arrived at the hospital, it wasn’t yet apparent how severely ill she was, so hospital personnel were still operating under the “no visitation” rule.

Even when the gravity of the situation became apparent, hospital personnel were still operating under the rule that only one person could be at the bedside of a patient if it was determined to be an end-of-life situation.

Eventually family members were able to see Mary Ann one-by-one, including her mother and sister. But, the family was not able to gather by her bedside for one last time to say their goodbyes.

Neither Dan nor Kristi blame hospital staff for the unfortunate situation, but Dan said he doesn’t know how the coronavirus outbreak could have gotten so out of control, affecting people’s lives and memories.

Masks during the memorial

The family had a private memorial service and a private burial with only 10 family members in attendance.

Kristi said her family takes social distancing and the need to wear masks very seriously, and are committed to remaining compliant with safety measures.

Even at her mothers’ service, Kristi said, mourners wore masks and the family has been vocal about their support of safety measures surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak.

“At first we thought we would have a Celebration of Life later this summer,” she said. “But, we’re going to wait until next year.”

Both Skoks said they are moving forward just as they believe Mary Ann would have wanted, and are relying on each other for support and inspiration.

Kristi, a junior at King’s College, earned a 4.0 for the spring semester in spite of her mother’s death.

Part of that is because she said she can hear her mother’s voice encouraging her to do her very best and to “never stop.”

Mary Ann’s focus was always on her family and on the day that she became ill, she was participating in a Facebook “mom challenge,” in which she posted a photo which embodied her experience as a mother every day.

When she realized that she didn’t feel well, she told her neighbor who was participating with her, that she wanted to post a final photo, so Kristi posted the photo on her wall in her stead.

Both Dan and Kristi cite the other with motivating them to keep going, in addition to wanting to live a life that Mary Ann would be proud of.

Both Dan and Kristi Skok remember Mary Ann as bringing joy and laughter to family gatherings with her life focused on her love for family and friends.