Vivian Janet Leonard (VL), Marissa Sofia Ochs (MO), and Vivian Garcia Leonard (VG)

VL: The hospital I work in is a 160 bed hospital. We went to 260 beds. And the patients were coding so often we just couldn’t keep up with the medications. It was insane. 

One of the worst moments was realizing that the trailer was outside my office window.  The hospital would report out each day, “we have 30 in the trailer, we have 55 in the trailer.” And, seeing the bodies. At one point it went as high as the 80s. 

Mom do you remember when Marissa came that day home from work and said, “you can’t go to work Abu. You can’t go to work”

VG: Oh yes. She wouldn’t let me leave the house.

MO: Well, I just knew it was so hard for you to not work because you don’t know what life is not working. 

VG: I know. I always work. My grandmother had good friends that owned [a] pharmacy and when I was a little girl she used to take me there. And I always liked science. And chemistry. I always say “I am going to be a pharmacist.” That was my calling.

VL: Yeah, basically tell you, “okay you wanna go to work? You can go. Just tell me who are the ten people you want at your funeral?” And I’m sorry I had to be that blunt with you. 

VG: I followed the instructions but I — I miss the people and um, I miss my work.

MO: I feel like I am who I am because of you. I want to grow up to be like you. 

VG: As a result of this pandemic I think that we — we express more to each other how much we love each other and how much we need each other.

MO: I am just hoping for a fourth generation pharmacist. 

VG: Right.