After a year apart, vaccinated seniors finally reunite with families

For the first time in over a year, 9-year-old Hailey Cuthbert looked up adoringly at her great-grandmother, Ellie Levi, on Wednesday in Summerlin.

“I’m so excited to be here with you,” she said.

Levi, 90, looked back at her and asked, “What do I have in the apartment?”

“Jelly beans,” Cuthbert replied without hesitation.

The family reunion occurred in the Las Ventanas development, where Levi lives, at a special event called “Shot of Freedom.” The purpose was to reunite residents who were recently vaccinated against COVID-19 with family members while also showing off a new putting green that just opened off the central office’s lobby area.

Cuthbert was visiting with her sister, Emery, 6, and grandmother, Frema Lafrance. They had seen Levi sparingly during the past year but hadn’t been able to enter Las Ventanas until Wednesday, when visiting restrictions were lifted. With many other residents of the retirement community, Levi is now fully vaccinated.

Families and residents milled around in the lobby area, with some heading outside to check out the putting green. For many residents, the event was the first sign after an arduous year that hope is on the horizon.

Resident Carolyn Booker said she started a book club with her family members during the pandemic, with meetings over Zoom. They’ve read “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents,” “Being Mortal” and “Unshakeable,” among others.

“I think the worst thing you can do if faced with a crisis is give up,” she said. “And it’s much better to lean in and figure it out, and you’ll be the stronger for it no matter what happens in the rest of your journey of life.”

Booker, the mother of U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., served on the committee that helped bring the new putting green to life. She is excited about the next few months, especially as things start to reopen and more opportunities become available.

Levi said she has been reading a lot during the past year. It’s also helpful that her grandson works in the kitchen at Las Ventanas, meaning family isn’t always far away. Still, she acknowledged that the last year has been difficult.

“The weekends were lonely,” she said. “They have their own activities, and I don’t like to infringe on that. But they couldn’t come visit, and so I talked to them on the phone.”

Levi’s family typically visits for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but COVID-19 forced those plans to be shelved last year. On Wednesday, though, her family was once more beside her. She reflected on the past year, offering more words of hope for the future.

“Now that we can have more freedom, hopefully we’re going in the right direction, throughout the community, throughout the state and throughout the country — and the world,” she said. “I hope that people can enjoy things almost as we used to do.”

Contact Jonah Dylan at jdylan@reviewjournal.com. Follow @TheJonahDylan on Twitter.