C Section 27

Posted on by Thor

Newsweek reported that an unvaccinated 27 year old mother of 6 from Texas, died of COVID-19 after giving birth. Her husband had tested positive for COVID shortly after New Year’s Day 2022. She was pregnant with the couple’s sixth child at the time.

Soon she began to feel unwell and experienced shortness of breath and chest tightness, her husband told news outlet ABC 13.

After a visit to the hospital on January 4, 2022 the mom was immediately admitted because her oxygen levels were low. She was then diagnosed with pneumonia due to COVID-19.

Within days, doctors performed an emergency C-section to deliver the couple’s baby, a boy called Koda born at 25 weeks, according to a GoFundMe donation page set up for the family. This story caught my eye since Koda was the name of the bear Cub I worked on at Disney Feature Animation for the film, Brother Bear.

The mother’s condition began to improve over the following weeks, but then suddenly deteriorated. She died shortly afterwards, in mid-January 2022.

The father told ABC 13 that both he and his wife had not been vaccinated against COVID as “it all happened so fast and it was being pushed on us very fast,” saying: “She was pregnant and so she had some concerns.”

Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said in August 2021 that the COVID vaccines were “safe and effective,” including for those who are pregnant and breastfeeding. CDC analysis at the time did not find an increased risk of miscarriage among nearly 2,500 pregnant women who received an mRNA COVID vaccine before 20 weeks of pregnancy. Unfortunately, health messaging dos not always reach those who most need to hear it in time. There are also others who simply do not want to hear or understand the science.

Trump Counter Protest

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With president Donald Trump invading Orlando to announce his run as the incumbent for President in 2020 locals decided to set up a counter protest for the rally set to happen at the Amway Center. The counter protest happened at Stonewall Bar several blocks West of the Amway Center.

The Baby Trump Balloon was brought to Orlando for the “Win with Love Rally.” The balloon first appeared in London during Trump’s visit there last month. It gained so much notice that money was raised to create six
clones in the U.S. A GoFundMe campaign was started last week to raise funds for the helium
needed to inflate the balloon in Orlando. The campaign was successful, going over its
$3,500 goal. In addition to the helium canisters needed to inflate it, the balloon also
came with more than a ton of gear and 12 volunteers, said activist Mark
Offerman. Protest organizer Ida Eskamani said that, because the event is within a
specific perimeter of the Trump event, the balloon would not be able to float but would have to stay on the ground. I don’t get why a helium balloon was needed if it wouldn’t be allowed to fly. Much smaller trump helium balloons were on sale for $10 each and these did often take flight.

When Pam and I arrived at the counter protest we noticed police moving towards the north. She suggested they must be going to some disturbance so we followed. About a dozen “Proud Boy” Trump supporters in red MAGA hats and bulletproof vests were standing off with police. The police presence was impressive with officers in full gear from multiple counties. When the Trump supporters turned away, I made my way over to sketch the baby Trump Balloon. The counter protest was crowded. I had to remove people from my sketch so I could see baby Trumps diaper and cell phone.

I could see the red hats making their way around the lake towards the southern roadblocked barricade to the counter protest. When they faced off a second time people in the protest faced them and raised their anti Trump signs. It gave the protestors a symbol of hate to confront. They shouted “Hey, hey, ho, ho. Donald Trump has got to go.”

After my sketch was done, Pam and I decided to make our way through the police lines to walk down to the Amway. At the same time  the “Proud Boy” thugs decided to follow us down. They were a bunch of bros bragging about their bravado and looking for a chance to get in front of cameras. Anyone wearing a bulletproof vest to a rally is looking for trouble. They paused at a club on Church street and I lost sight of them. Two men were arrested outside the Trump Rally for disorderly conduct. They have since been released on bond. At least at the counter protest, Hate was faced with peaceful protest and a message of love.

The grassy field outside the Arena was littered with garbage and lawn chairs. Some folks just left their tents crushed up on the sidewalks. There was no overflow crowd. Trumps claim that hundreds of thousands of people would be showing up to witness his bid for the candidacy proved false. He didn’t even fill the arena. All  that remained outside were vendors trying to sell $5 Red MAGA Caps.

One Orlando Alliance organized an Orlando Vigil for Las Vegas

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The lawn in front of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts was packed with thousands of people 16 months ago after the Pulse Nightclub shooting. Tears were shed and strangers hugged one another in a truly moving vigil to honor the victims of the nightclub shooting. Days after the mass shooting in Las Vegas, the same stage was erected in the Dr. Phillips lawn to show solidarity and support for that city which is now the site of the largest mass shooting in American history with 58 victims to date. 515 others are injured, so that number may well rise as people fight for their lives.

Pam Schwartz and I arrived a bit early expecting to find the lawn crowded with Orlando citizens who who would show their support for such a tragic event. The lawn was strangely empty. One third of the lawn was a construction zone for the new Dr. Phillips theater being built.  The entire area was surrounded by temporary concert barricades. There was no crowd to contain. A single wreath stood on a tripod in front of the stage. The press huddled together on the walkway opposite me. Desperate for some sort of story, a young reporter asked to interview me, but I explained that I had a limited amount of time to finish my sketch so I couldn’t stop to talk.

The green lawn remained empty the entire time I sketched. I had looked at some of the video footage from Las Vegas earlier that day and recall seeing people running for their lives or lying on the grass hoping not to get hit by the bullets raining down from 32 stories above. The Dr. Phillips lawn, surrounded by humble Orlando high rises, wasn’t much different than the Las Vegas field where concert goers were massacred. One Orlando high rise had several windows blown out from hurricane Irma, just as the Las Vegas gunman had blown out his hotel room window to massacre the crowd below.

Dozens of people showed up to the vigil held in Orlando. Any photos of the vigil show a few people together in closely cropped shots.  Perhaps it was just to soon. The staff at the History Center said that they just weren’t ready to accept or digest that such a horrific incident had happened so soon after the incident at Pulse. Days after the Las Vegas shooting, rainbow flags appeared on all the Orlando downtown street lights. I thought this was in solidarity for the Las Vegas shooting but it might just have been in preparation for the Gay Pride Parade coming up next week.

Someone removed the metal steps that lead up to the stage. A source at The Center said that a permit had not been applied for and thus
no one was allowed to go up on the stage. How amazing that such red tape should
come from a city who had just experienced mass murder 16 months earlier. One Orlando Alliance organizers stated that a radio station set up the stage just for the amplification and they didn’t want any speakers.

Five or six of the 49 angels in action arrived and stood silent in
front of the stage, their fabric wings flapping in the breeze.

 one PULSE Foundation president, Barbara Poma, spoke to the small group gathered from behind the stage. Her online statement read, “Finding words to convey the depth of horror we are all witnessing in
Las Vegas is just impossible. It is unimaginable that another mass
shooting of even greater scope than that of Pulse Nightclub could occur
again in this country, but indeed, it has. We must work harder to stop
these crimes that destroy human life. We pray for those whose lives were
taken, as well as for the wounded and the hundreds who will forever be affected by this monumental tragedy.”

The Orange County Property Appraiser arrived to get his picture taken in a tuxedo in front of a banner which people signed in support of Las Vegas. Mayor Buddy Dyer made a cameo and disappeared quickly. I recognized some of the Pulse family and activists like the Eskamani sisters who truly made a difference in our city following the Pulse shooting. A GoFundMe set up by Ida Eskamani for Equality Florida raised more that 2.4 million dollars for Pulse victims families. With Hurricane Maria causing so much damage in Puerto Rico, many Hispanic activists are perhaps occupied with that cause.

The Vigil held at the Dr. Phillips for Las Vegas was a small gathering by a few of Orlando’s core activists but the impression it left with me was apparent indifference by the community as a whole. The Methodist Church bells rang for each victim of the
Las Vegas shooting. I left disheartened.  The faces of the beautiful people lost in Las Vegas are just now
appearing online. All of those lost have not yet been identified. Perhaps people stayed home because mass murder is now the norm. A mass murder is defined as 4 people dying in a single gun related incident. Close to one mass shooting happens every day in America.

Pam was going to the Savoy to be a Celebrity Bartender. That event would raise funds to help The Center which is a refuge and family for the LGBT community as well as playing an important role in testing and treating sexually transmitted diseases. Sketching that event felt more supportive to an organization that makes a positive change in the Orlando community. Life goes on as social services struggle to stay afloat. I needed a stiff drink. How we memorialize is becoming increasingly important as these shootings are becoming more common.

P.S. Justine Thompson Cowan, one of the events organizers reported that
City representatives were willing to do whatever it took, helped with
permitting, and opened up garages for free parking, spending staff
resources to pull it together. He stayed
until the end and joined with what he estimated to be about 250 people as
they heard the bells toll, the Orlando Gay Chorus sing and spread out
into the audience with their voices that touched their hearts. She felt
solace. She felt companionship. And maybe even a bit of hope.

Fun Home

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The cast of the New York production of Home Fun presented a stripped-down concert performance of the Tony Award-winning musical as a benefit at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. One hundred percent of the net proceeds of the performance will go to the LGBT nonprofit Equality Florida and the victims of the Pulse shooting. Half of the money raised will be distributed directly to victims and
their families, and half will support Equality Florida’s work to end
discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

“I think that it’s one thing to raise money, which is important,” said “Fun Home” actress Judy Kuhn. “But I think it’s also important to show up and say, ‘We’re here and we’re here supporting you.” During the introduction, the words, “We are so sorry.” brought back the tears. As the cast walked onto the stage, they got a roaring standing oration.

Based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechel, the show is about a lesbian cartoonist named Alison,  who looks back at her childhood and her sexual awakening in college. Throughout the play, her adult self holds a sketchpad as she sketched the scenes of her past. It seemed appropriate that one person in the audience should be sketching as well. Three actresses perform as Alison. The youngest dreamed of taking flight, and yearned for her father’s attention. The Tom boyish middle Alison intellectualized her sexual confusion until the right girl, Joan, kissed her.  The eldest Alison looked back on her past actions in ever scene often embarrassed by her own diary entries.

The woman seated next to Betsy, was wearing a tuxedo shirt and suspenders. She said, this was the first time she had seen a character on stage who reminded her of herself. The play addresses universal underlying themes of wanting a parent’s acceptance and love only to get their narrow minded ideas of what they consider best. As Alison was discovering she loved women, her father was seeking out young men to have affairs with. As she began to soar, he began to crash. The harsh reality was gut wrenching.

My favorite scene featured  young Alison, Gabby Pizzolo, who sees a woman unlike any she had scene before. The woman was masculine and beautiful, no handsome. For the first time she saw a woman who seemed strong and she saw herself. Her father wanted her to wear a dress and keep her hair back with a beret, but she just saw who she could be. I loved her, for finally loving herself. In a talk back after the show the young boy actor, Zell Steele Morrow, summed it up nicely. You can be who you want to be, and love who you want to love.  The two women seated in front of me held each other close. In the wake of tragedy, love still finds a way in Orlando.

The GoFundMe to help Pulse victims families has reached over 7.3 million dollars breaking all records for the internet startup. Survivors from other mass shootings have come to Orlando to show their support. Some were in the audience. There is no life outside of the need to connect. Theater like this brings a community together and this shared story, about us all, can help us come together and face what we all must overcome, to rise above hate. 

The Pulse Shooting Candlelight Vigil.

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After finishing my first sketch at the Orlando Pulse Shooting Vigil, I wandered through the crowd. People were crying and hugging for support. I wanted to get a sketch closer to the stage. I made my way to the perimeter to get back stage.  Equality Florida set up a GoFundMe page to help victims of the Pulse shooting and it has reached over $3 million since it was opened on Sunday. There has been an incredible outpouring of support all across the country for families affected by this terrorist attack. This page for the victims of the Pulse shooting
is one of the biggest record breaking pages in the fundraising site’s
history.

I leaned up against a pylon and started sketching the stage. I wanted to catch some of the police presence. All the news trucks were lined up to my right down the street.
Pulse workers took the stage and vowed to come back, bigger than ever. “We will not be defeated! We are here to stay!”
The owners then led the audience in a chant of “Peace Love Pulse!”, “Peace Love Pulse!” We chanted louder until it became a unified shout. There was defiance and love as that chant filling downtown.

Most politicians who spoke seemed to be telling the crowd what they wanted to hear. It all sounded so shallow. The words were meant to instill civic pride and bring cheers. At Pulse two nights before, cell phones buzzed in shooting victim’s pockets from loved ones hoping they had survived. The coroner worked tirelessly to identify bodies. One politician who spoke from the heart was Patty Sheehan. She is the first openly gay woman to be elected as an Orlando City Commissioner. I’ve met her multiple times at various events, and she is always open and gregarious. She is also an artist who paints what she calls equality kittens. Often sales of these paintings go to help the LGBT community. Patty spoke about how she had been at ground zero for the past 48 hours. She had seen blood on the sidewalks and desperate mothers wanting to know if their sons were alive. Her voice broke as she described these scenes. She ran out of words, paused, and then said that she had also seen an incredible amount of love and an outpouring of support. “All of you are a shining example of that love.” Everyone shouted their approval and once again I got choked up and had to stop the sketch. She said, “Murderers will not destroy our spirit. I love you, Orlando.”

Candles were handed out to everyone in the crowd, one small flame became thousands. The Methodist Church across the street, tolled a bell for every life lost. The reverberating sound went on and on.  Every new strike became sadder. It rang 49 times. I cry just thinking about that sound. There was sadness and silence through the whole crowd. Vigils like this are happening all across the country. Orlando is not alone. But everyone has to live with their grief alone. Tears sting but don’t heal. Only time and positive change can do that. When Gov. Rick Scott was asked if gun control or restricting access to the assault rifle
used by shooter Omar Mateen would have helped, the Republican governor said that radical
Islam killed the victims of the nightclub, not guns. That attitude is why the Gunshine State is now internationally known as the world’s most violent tourist destination. As the vigil ended, former State Representative Joe Saunders reminded everyone that there are still people in hospitals and he asked us all to take care of one another. The streets of downtown Orlando were then flooded with mourners, many still carrying their candles as they made their way home to loved ones. I went home to write an article before midnight and then I lay on the floor listened to Tibetan healing bowls. I curled up, drained.

Other vigils in Orlando…

  • Baitul-Aafiyat Mosque: 9501 Satellite Blvd, Suite 103, 32837-8445. Sunday 8 p.m. prayer service.
  • Christ Church of Orlando: 2200 South Orange Ave. Open to first responders and workers for rest and prayer. Sunday, 6 p.m.
  • Ember, Orlando: 42 W. Central Blvd., Orlando, 32801. Restaurant/bar holding plans a candlelight vigil for 7 p.m. Sunday.
  • The Experience Christian Center: Prayer vigil at 6:30 p.m. to be
    held at Jones High School. Gov. Rick Scott and other Central Florida
    officials have been invited.
  • Parliament House, Sunday, 7 p.m.
  • St. Cloud City Hall, Sunday, 7:30 p.m. vigil planned near the
    flagpole. Deputy Mayor Jeff Rinehart will lead in a moment of silence
    and prayers.
  • Candlelight Vigil for Orlando, Lake Eola. Sunday, 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.