In Isolation

Carole Gariepy never planned to write a book on isolation until it happened to her. After she and her husband Gerry, both elderly, were staying at home to stay healthy, it made them reflect on two places in the United States they visited where people had been isolated -- at Kalaupapa in Hawaii where the lepers were sent and to Minidoka in Idaho where the Japanese Americans were interned during World War II.

You have to walk in someone's shoes to truly feel and understand what a person is experiencing. When Carole and Gerry visited the leper colony and internment camp, the tragedy of the situations touched them, also they saw how acts of kindness and caring from others uplifted them and gave them strength to face the challenges they had to endure.

Now with COVID-19 and isolation to stop the spread, along with fear of catching the virus, Carole was motivated to write a story that integrated all three isolations -- drawing from the history she learned at her recent visit to the leper colony, the story told to her by Paul Chihara who was a resident for four years at the internment camp, and her own present experiences with the virus.

In all cases, the outreach of caring words and actions brought hope and sustenance, even fun during difficult times. Simple kindnesses can make all the difference, and it's something everyone can do.