OKOTOKS - A Foothills County woman who has battled mental health issues since she was a teen said it has been a difficult year since she became the unofficial first person in the Okotoks area to get COVID.
“There’s been a lot of different emotions,” said Leah Beingessner. “I am still a little shocked that it’s been a year and we are still kind of going through this.
"I thought it would be one of those things that was scary at the beginning and then goes away, but it seems like it will not go away any time soon.”
Beingessner had left for Mexico on March 2 for a 29th birthday celebration – before any shutdowns or travel bans – and the day of her return flight to Calgary on March 12, her phone erupted with news of them having to quarantine when they got to their home just northeast of Okotoks.
Beingessner, who had experienced some discomfort that she felt was due to too much sun, tested positive for COVID-19 on March 14.
She went public and received plenty of support but also some horrific comments online.
“There was some family, close friends and community support which was great,” Beingessner said. “After sharing the story, I think I reached something like 35,000 shares or something crazy.
“It was brutal, watching the comments: ‘You should never have left Mexico knowing you were sick,’ people calling you murderer...
“There were all these public accusations and I went down in a dark place at that time.”
She went public with her story in part because she wanted to talk about mental health.
“It has been an ongoing battle throughout my young life,” said Beingessner, who deals with depression and anxiety. “With having COVID it was very hard at the very beginning because you felt so alone – and you were so shocked.
“I came out wanting to let people know that I am healthy, we are okay, try not to induce panic, and let people know that if they do get it, they are not alone.”
A year later, there have been a reported 138,788 cases as of March 14 — 132,028 reported recovered similar to Beingessner — and close to 2,000 deaths from COVID in the province.
“I am exhausted seeing it all,” Beingessner said. “Seeing the news constantly, seeing some things open, some things are not.
“It is disheartening. ‘When is this going to end, is it going to end?’
“Here it is and a year later we are nearly in the same spot. When you think about it, it’s kind of mind-boggling.”
Beingessner, a Foothills Comp grad, has received support from her two children, Ellie, 8 and Blaire, 3, and her husband Nolan has been her anchor, as well as friends.
“My husband, my rock, my support,” she said. “He works crazy hard at his job and lots of hours to make sure we have jobs.
“We are so grateful that we have been able to keep our jobs.”
Beingessner, who runs a housecleaning company with her sister, said her heart goes out to those who have lost jobs.
She said like many parents, she struggled with having her children having to learn at home or not being able to take them to daycare.
Beingessner credited staff at Ellie’s school, EĢcole Good Shepherd School, for helping her and other families during difficult times, such as when her daughter had to learn at home earlier this school year because of a positive case at the school.
She said having the life she has now after being one of the first in Alberta to get COVID makes her feel blessed.
“I feel like we keep getting beaten down with restrictions, isolation, it’s been a vicious cycle all year,” she said. “I don’t know if I am stronger, other than counting my blessings.”
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