Your Voice: Father lost to COVID-19 loved bowling, local Waffle House
Debra Estes is seen with her father, James Albert McNaney Jr., who died from COVID-19 on July 25.
We've been asking our Sumter Item community to share their stories surrounding COVID-19 and the pandemic's impact on you, your family and friends, work, etc. We want to tell the stories of the people in our community, putting names and people to statistics and trend articles.
To share your story and read other submissions, go to https://bit.ly/3e3kcvf or email editor@theitem.com if you want us to send you a questionnaire. You can also call (803) 774-1235 and leave a voice message either detailing your story or a callback number.
* Editor's note: While we read through and edit these reader submissions to ensure they adhere to our publishing policy, we cannot fact-check all of these personal experiences. The Sumter Item does not endorse opinions that may appear in Your Voice.
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Debra Estes lost her father to COVID-19 and shared her story in the hopes that it will help "someone stay safe and avoid this loss."
She said she begs people to keep "their teenagers and young people away from their vulnerable elders. The risk of asymptomatic transmission is real and can be mitigated by following recommended masking, social distancing, hand washing."
"We need to take extra special care of our elderly who are so vulnerable to this horrible disease," she said.
What county do you live in? York
How old are you? 60
Do you know someone who is sick or has died who you want to honor? Tell us about them.
My father, James Albert McNaney Jr., died from COVID-19 on July 25 at Prisma [Health] Tuomey [Hospital]. He was 86 years old and in good health. He took a sudden decline and was hospitalized on July 14. He was quickly identified as COVID-positive and received all known available treatments. Despite all efforts, he died. This is a devastating disease that ravages the heart, kidneys and lungs. Known treatments such as plasma and remdesivir may not work even when received early. My dad got this disease from asymptomatic spread.
He lived in Sumter with my sister. I was living in Columbia and moved to Fort Mill on the day he passed.
He bowled in the Thursday evening league on the Just Tryin team until the shutdown. He was also a regular at the Waffle House on Broad Street. The staff knew his jokes well.
Are you working from home, self-isolating or quarantining? What changes have you made? How are you adjusting?
Working from home and grateful to have a job. Self-isolating and using delivery and curbside pick-up services since March 11. I did not participate in the reopening as CDC guidelines were not met.
Are you a parent? Tell us about the changes you and your family have made.
I have two grown sons, a daughter-in-law and two grandsons. My sons are teleworking and social distancing. All of us wear masks but primarily are avoiding contact. It can be lonely. We use technology to stay connected.
What's something positive you've taken from this situation? A silver lining?
Family matters. Things do not. Cherish your times and memories and find ways to safely make new ones.
* McNaney's obituary ran in The Sumter Item on Wednesday, July 29. To read it, click here.