COVID-19 ceremony in Evansville remembers and looks forward – Courier & Press

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. They came to a garden Wednesday, some 40 people did,in search of healing and hope that COVID-19 will be defeated. They came, too, in remembrance of people we've lost and intribute tohealth care workers who man the barricades against the virus.

For Heather Rieber, the planting of three flowering dogwoodtrees in Ascension St. Vincent Evansville'sDaughters of Charity Prayer Garden will offer a tiny rayof serenity.

Rieber and her 14-year-old daughter lost husband and father Justin Rieberto the coronavirus on Oct. 31. Because she works atAscension Medical Group Heart Carein St. Vincent'sCenter for Advanced Medicine building, she will walk right past the treesat least twice a day.

Justin Rieber, an Evansville resident, was just 39 years old.

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"My plan was to grow old with my husband," Heather said just before Wednesday's ceremony. "I became a widow at a young age. My daughter is left without her earthly father.

"I hopethis helps some people find hope that thecoronaviruspandemic will come to an end soon, and people won't have to suffer like we have and go through what we have."

Justin Rieber was a loving person. Ajoyful person, Heather said.

"If he wasn't joking around with you, that meant he didn't like you," she said with a smile.

Heather was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Oct. 9, she said. Justin, who was working from home, developed symptoms a few days later.

"On Oct. 20, he was really struggling with shortness of breath, trying to breathe, so I convinced him that it was time to go to the emergency room and have it checked out," Heather said. "He was admitted, went to the ICU and just never really recovered. Each day got a little worse."

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Like a lot of people, Justin didn't think the coronavirus was a big deal when the pandemic began, Heather said.

"But as it went on and people that we know were affected by it directly, he kind of took it more seriously," she said.

One of the trees planted Wednesday, a white flowering dogwood, is in remembrance of people in the area who have died of complications of COVID-19.

Vanderburgh, Warrick, Posey and Gibson counties have seen 671 coronavirus-related deaths between them. Although the rate of death has slowed dramatically in recent months, no one knows when they will end. Vanderburgh County reported its 394th death related to COVID-19 just this past Friday.

A pinkflowering dogwood is in thanks to those who have produced and transported vaccines against COVID-19 and staff and volunteers in St. Vincent's vaccine clinic.

A red flowering dogwood honors health care workers who have cared for COVID-19 patients.

Stephanie Lambert, a registered nurse for four years, has worked in a St. Vincent's COVID unit since the pandemic's beginning. Lambert, a 30-something, has seen too many of them die. She's trying to be optimistic now.

"The beginning was very tough for everybody, but we developed a treatment plan, and we got better with things throughout the year," she said. "I'm proud to see a lot of the things that we accomplished during the time of treating patients.

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"It's good to see the ones that made it through."

Most of those who attended Wednesday's 20-minute tree planting ceremony at St. Vincent are employees of the hospital system. Mayor Lloyd Winnecke was there, but he did not speak.

"Part of our mission is healing body, mind and spirit, and so we want our surroundings, we want our facilities and our campus to be nurturing, healing (places)," saidDan Parod, president of Ascension St. Vincent Southern Region.

The dedication of the three trees was intended "to acknowledge what we've all been through over the past year," Parod said.

But the community has survived, the St. Vincent president said. That's worth celebrating too.

"We've all experienced loss in some way," he said. "So today, we are dedicating three trees, really, to acknowledge what we've been through, but also to acknowledge the resiliency and the strength that we've seen in our human spirit."

Heather Rieber has found her way forward.

"The reason Ican keep going every day is I have a strong faith in Christ," she said. "I know that he has a plan for me and my daughter and this is not the end for us."

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COVID-19 ceremony in Evansville remembers and looks forward - Courier & Press