Relief Fund for Amanda Lorberg & family
The Lorberg family are woven in the fabric of our community, and you'd be hard pressed to go anywhere in town without meeting someone who has been touched by the warmth and generosity of at least one of them. Maybe you have been served by Jen at Wimpy's or the golf course, or by Sandy in the pharmacy at Metro, or you know Hans from his infamous driveway record sales. Or, if you were really lucky, you got to sit at the bar at the Brownstone and be served by Amanda back when it was still open.
This fundraiser is for Amanda Lorberg.
From a recent Facebook post by her sister, Jen:
"As many of our friends know Amanda had a SCAD heart attack at the beginning of June. While recovering after weeks away from her kids she was exposed to Covid. She was exposed in her room [at Soldiers Memorial Hospital] where she was supposed to be safe and able to heal."
Following her heart attack, Amanda was hospitalized for almost two weeks straight - she was able to go home for a couple days early on before another cardiac episode sent her back in. As hospitals have to follow strict visitor rules due to the pandemic, she was not able to have any visitors while she was in hospital - including her daughters, Sadie (7) and Esther (3).
Amanda was discharged home on Saturday June 19th. Unfortunately, just hours before being sent home, she was exposed to Covid-19 in her hospital room without her knowledge, as a patient who later tested Covid-positive was wheeled into her room and introduced as her new roommate. Within an hour of arriving at home, OSMH called to inform her of the exposure, and told her that she would be transported to a quarantine hotel in Barrie where she would stay isolated for another two weeks. In what may be the only positive turn of events in this story, Amanda had gone straight home from the hospital, so any potential spread of the virus was contained.
And so, immediately after being released from hospital, Amanda was sent to quarantine. Her daughter, Esther, turned 4 on June 24th, and was absolutely devastated that her mom wasn't there to celebrate with her. The experience has been devastating for everyone. Emotions are running high and mental health is at a low.
Of course, so are their finances. Amanda's partner, Shannon, has only been able to work intermittently through all of this, missing out on what is normally his busiest work season, as he's had to stay home to take care of the girls. They're now two months behind on rent and bills, and have some future expenses coming their way, as well.
Any help is greatly appreciated - along with any kind words you may have. Thank you.
Shawna Ballik
UPDATE:
Unfortunately, Amanda isn't home yet. To add insult to injury, a clerical error coupled with the statutory holiday last Thursday means that Amanda is late receiving her second Covid swab - so, though she was supposed to be able to be swabbed and released from quarantine as of July 4th, she has yet to even be tested and will still need to wait a couple days for results before going home.
