Couple separated by COVID-19 restrictions receives ‘dream’ dinner date

SOUTHPORT, NC (WWAY) — The COVID-19 pandemic has had an especially hard impact on those with loved ones in nursing homes. On Wednesday, one Leland woman was able to sit down to dinner with her husband for the first time in months.

Mary Campbell and her husband Richard have been together for 30 years and traveled the world together.

“We’ve done an awful lot of things together,” Campbell said. “We’ve always been best friends so we did everything together, and were never really apart for more than a few days.”

Seven years ago, Richard was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Last year he moved into the memory care unit at Elmcroft Assisted Living Facility in Southport.

Campbell says she visited every day until the COVID-19 pandemic prevented her from doing so.

“March 13 is the last time we’ve been together because of COVID, and because the whole place is on lock down,” she said. “So it’s been 138 days since we’ve had something like this where we can sit down and have some kind of normal experience.”

Campbell says Richard’s condition has worsened during the lock down. He’s not eating as much and has lost 30 pounds.

“While some of that could be natural progression of the disease, I think collectively everyone feels it’s very much because he feels isolated and maybe a little bit abandoned and confused about why I’m not here and the kids aren’t here and the grand kids aren’t here,” she said.

Seeing this, one of the staff members at Elmcroft nominated Mary and Richard for a dinner date through the Second Wind Dreams Program. It’s similar to Make-a-Wish, but for seniors.

Mary says two 11-year-old girls in Texas raised money selling bracelets and brownies to grant the couple’s wish.

Although they were separated by a window due to health restrictions, they were able to enjoy their favorite meal together and have a little bit of normalcy.

Mary says she plans to send the girls a note with pictures from their dinner and thank them for such a selfless act.