Mon Valley residents share how the pandemic changed their lives

May 10, 2022

Jennifer Edder, 48, earned her masters degree and powered through the pandemic. Dillon Kuhns, 18, missed out on a traditional high school experience. Desiree Bluett, 49, adapted to overcome new challenges.

Mon Valley residents recently marked the two year anniversary of when Covid-19 was declared a global pandemic. Residents remember March 2020 as a turbulent time when they were told to stay home and flatten the curve. 

During these past two years, the borough of West Mifflin had a population of over 19,834 people. The borough saw 4,810 infections, and 252 of those cases were hospitalized, according to Allegheny County’s COVID-19 geographic data. West Mifflin lost 35 residents to covid. The city of Duquesne had a population of around 4,543 with 1,214 infections and 115 of those were hospitalized. Duquesne lost 24 of its residents.

Jennifer Edder, of West Mifflin, was working as a pulmonary/transplant bedside nurse at the beginning of the pandemic. She had recently earned her Master’s degree in nursing informatics at Waynesburg University, because she wanted to explore other areas of nursing and transition away from being bedside. She left for case management because of her new degree, not because of Covid. She didn’t enjoy that position, so she has been working from home as a Utilization Review Nurse. Her new position is responsible for reviewing patient charts that ensure that each patient is admitted under the correct level of care.

She wanted to be a cosmetologist when she was younger, but her mother told her that she wouldn’t be able to support herself let alone a family if she chose that path. She went from college to college trying to figure out what she wanted to do, and decided she would pursue nursing to pay the bills.

The pandemic affected her home life more than it did her job. “For me it was the constant underlying fear that I would bring it home to them,” she said. 

Edder believes for her generation the biggest impact from the past two years of the pandemic are trust issues, PTSD from the trauma in the coming years, and mental health issues. 

“People our age will be more cognizant of their health because Covid scared those of us who might be carrying a little extra weight or engaging in unhealthy eating or activities like smoking or vaping. It might give some of us pause like I gotta clean up my act so if this ever comes around again I’m not as susceptible to it.” she said. 

Edders added, “Mental health is going to be a significant issue for our generation and younger going forward. The emphasis has to be on mental health treatment and have more money earmarked for that. The World War II generation and back they just did what they had to do, and they saw death a lot. In our day and age, we got a pill for everything and a cure for everything. To see this level of death was a shock to a lot of people.”

Edders is now a changed person.

“I’m more cautious, I feel like Covid came out of the blue. You think what's around the corner? What is gonna get us next time? This can’t be over over. I was truly scared and yet I tried to be reasonable about it. I was scared my kids would get sick and pass away or my husband or myself. Who is gonna take care of the kids? What are we gonna do if something happens to me? It was a very surreal time. One that I don’t think I’m likely to forget. Ever. Yet, you still had to carry on.”

Edder looks forward to having people over, and more family get-togethers.

 “I miss the connection,” she said. 

 West Mifflin High School senior Dillon Kuhns recently turned 18.  He was nearing the end of his sophomore year during the early days of the lockdown.  

“I think it really affected a lot of my generation and people I know mentally. It didn’t affect me as much, but I’ve seen people around me affected more.” he said. 

Kuhns didn't mind doing school remotely, and he credits his parents for helping him stay motivated. 

Students missed the rites of passage they normally experience during the school year, such as dances, sporting events and the routine of sitting in a classroom with their peers. Dillon prefers learning in person.  “Being in school with everybody, that’s a big thing”, he said “even at the height of the lockdown we couldn’t really go anywhere or do anything.” 

Kuhns stayed positive and upbeat throughout the pandemic. He is involved in an abundance of activities including: track, soccer, baseball, marching band, cross country and wrestling. He currently works part-time at Panda Express.

While other fellow students felt discouraged and frustrated during the lockdown, Kuhns looked at it more positively.  “As a whole, I feel it bonded us rather than took us apart because everybody was going through the same thing.” Kuhns said.

Dillon describes himself as outgoing and he was able to make new friends online. He did a lot of gaming to pass the time. While some of his peers felt isolated during this time, Dillon chose to use the experience to connect with others virtually. He is excited about graduating in May and is considering pursuing mechanical engineering at West Virginia University.

Longtime Duquesne resident Desiree Bluett pondered about the direction of her life during the pandemic. She works as a paraprofessional at the City of Duquesne’s School District. For her the pandemic had a lot of firsts in store. She experienced stores, restaurants and businesses closing down and working from home for the first time.

“Working from home was a challenge and trying to help the teacher keep the kids on task. I just started going out and eating at restaurants. We did a lot of takeout.” Bluett decided to go back to school recently to finish her Bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education. 

“I do homework all evening long,” she joked. 

The last two years have made Bluett more cautious when she is out in public spaces. She  frequently takes the necessary precautions to remain healthy such as handwashing, wearing her mask and using ample hand sanitizer. Desiree and her mother enjoy attending shows in the Cultural District in Downtown Pittsburgh. “We have tickets to all of the shows. We just went to see Hamilton and we sat up in the last row.  We don’t want to be around so many people, so we sit up high so we don’t have to worry.” she said. 

The long lockdown impacted her family life as well. “We had stopped the family get-togethers. The first time we got back together was last Easter. Thanksgiving and Christmas were pretty big.” She developed an appreciation for delivery services.

The only thing Bluett would have done differently was try to get vaccinated on her own and not wait for the Johnson and Johnson vaccine which was mandated for school district employees. 

 She is looking forward to her first trip in two years to attend her cousin's wedding in Miami which had been postponed because of the pandemic. Then more plans to travel throughout  the summer.

 “I’m a little leery about going to the airport. I haven’t been on a plane since this whole pandemic started. I will have a mask on,” she said, “probably two.” 

- Jennifer McCalla