INNOCULATION EXPERT AND PATIENT … 105-year old Mrs. Ramona Heinzerling receives the first of two COVID-19 vaccinations from her great-granddaughter, Alyssa Maier. (Photo courtesy of Alyssa Maier)
By: Tim Kays
There aren’t many people that can truthfully say that their 105-year old great grandmother is alive and more than well. Alyssa Maier is one of those people.
A member of the Edon High School Class of 2017, Alyssa is attending the University of Findlay and will graduate in 2024 with a Doctorate of Pharmacy. She’s a little over two years away from graduation, but her major is already paying a dividend that few others, if any can get.
Alyssa’s great-grandmother, 105-year old Mrs. Ramona Heinzerling, is a resident at Fountain Park. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, visitation of friends and relatives in assisted living or nursing care facilities has been prohibited.
As much as her family would like to visit her in person, Ramona must remain behind the walls of her facility for her own protection. The only people allowed in are staff and medical personnel, which is where the story takes a big turn.
“Well, I graduated in 2017, and started Findlay in the fall,” Alyssa said. “I joined a pharmacy fraternity, which helped me get my foot in the door and make more connections in the pharmacy world.”
“We started doing a flu vaccine clinic with that fraternity.” Alyssa got connected with CVS Pharmacy, and a door opened…a big door.
Alyssa recalled, “My boss said, ‘You know, we’re going to be doing these COVID vaccine clinics; did you want to do them?’ I said, ‘Well, yes, of course,’ because I had experience doing vaccine clinics before, and I’ve always had a lot of fun with those, getting to go out and help people in the community.”
“When they started announcing that they were coming out with a vaccine,” she continued, “…I was very into doing my research to give everyone the most accurate and updated knowledge that I had.”
“My grandmother was texting me a lot and asking me questions about it…whether they should get it, whether my great-grandma should get it, whether my parents would get it, whether I would get it. So I just wanted to try and be as informed about it as possible.”
“Then once they got it approved and all the vaccines started rolling into CVS, I started going to a whole bunch of clinics, pretty much all over Northwestern Ohio. I was in Troy last week for a clinic.” There was one clinic though that was at the top of her must-go list.
“From the start of those clinics,” Alyssa said, “…they said that they were going to be going out to Fountain Park where my great-grandma is.”
“I told my boss that I wanted to be on that clinic schedule because I hadn’t seen her since I came back to school in August. No one in my family had been able to go and see her, and I knew that it would just make her heart happy to know that everyone’s doing well.”
“We try and call her and talk to her on the phone and everything, but it’s just not the same as going and seeing them in person and giving them updates on everything. She’s always been really supportive of all of us, especially of me going to school and the path that I’m choosing.”
When the day finally arrived, Alyssa finally got to be with her great-grandmother…up close and personal. Great-granddaughter gave her great-grandmother the first of two Pfizer COVID inoculations. She will be returning on January 30 to follow up with the second injection.
“It was really nice to go and fill her in on everything that I was doing school wise, at work, and now with the vaccine rollout and everything,” Alyssa said. “It was just really nice to go and talk to her and see her. She said that I am an expert vaccine giver, so I think I did a pretty good job.”
There are some in the area who might remember the name, Ramona Heinzerling. “I believe she is from the area,” Alyssa said of her great-grandmother. “I know that she graduated from Edon. I don’t know what year it was, but she was a teacher for quite some years.”
“I believe she taught at Four County for a little bit, but I know she taught at the school and Edon back when it was just the one room school at the Bomber Barn.”
“I know she also did some work with the USO. I’m not sure what the years were with that, but she lived at home until she was probably 100, and then has been at Fountain Park, maybe four and a half, five years.”
Having an opportunity that few ever get in the pandemic age, Alyssa took note of her great-grandmother’s condition, and was happy to report that Ramona is considerably more agile than fellow residents that are twenty years her junior. “She is doing really well,” she said.
“Not to brag or anything, but you know a lot of the older people have sweaters on, or they have like a long sleeve shirt that they have to try and maneuver their way to get out of in order to expose their upper arm muscle where we’re giving the vaccine.”
“She could easily and effortlessly just pull her arm out of the sweater that she was wearing, and there were a couple people that were probably like in the 85-ish range that were struggling to do that”
“The fact that she is still mobile enough to do that and move so effortlessly is, I think just a testament to how well she’s taking care of herself and is continuing to take care of herself.”
It’s not just her anymore. Now, 105-year old Ramona Heinzerling has added her great-granddaughter Alyssa to her care team, and family bonds are being strengthened in a way that no COVID virus can break.
Oh, that we all could be so blessed.
Tim can be reached at tim@thevillagereporter.com
