These are just a few lines of the thank you letter Principal John Rojas received from one of his students.

The four LA Schools sponsored by the Daughters of Charity have been particularly hard hit by the virus. Rojas explained that this student’s story is just one of many that his team has addressed.

According to Rojas, a number of students, parents and staff members have tested positive for Covid-19 and have had to deal with the virus’s terrible effects.

“The disease has had such a devastating effect because of the conditions present in our community. Many of our families work in maintenance, construction, and in factories, all of which are considered essential and having to report to work on a daily basis.

“Los Angeles’ astronomical rent prices has forced many of our families to live with members of their extended family to reduce the burden of rent. Because so many members of a family are living under one roof, including their grandparents,once the disease enters the home-so many are affected,” Rojas said.

He went on to describe one family that was hit particularly hard. The parents and children lived with their grandparents in the same household. The virus quickly spread to the parents, children and eventually the grandparents. They sheltered in place as they dealt with its terrible effects. Ultimately, the symptoms became so severe for the family’s grandfather that he had to be admitted to the hospital on Easter Sunday. He would remain in the hospital for three weeks, and ultimately lost his life. A story all too common for the Talpa community.

“Though it seems inappropriate to compare our own suffering to that of the family’s, we as a school community have known the pain as well,” Rojas said. “Our Talpa family is always there when one of our own needs help and the current limitations inhibit us from helping as much as we would like.”

We couldn’t be with the family as they prepared to lay their grandfather to rest. We took turns calling the family and checking in with them, but given how we have always supported our community members it simply didn’t seem like enough.

I realized that I was also at the mercy of the virus when I visited the family in person to grieve with them. I stood with them, but was separated by six feet and their driveway gate. We stood near one another and wept openly. The hardest part for me was to be so near to one our families as they were in pain and not be able to hug them. Never have I felt so helpless.

Despite these momentary feelings of helplessness, we as a community have found ways of our own to support each other. In this instance, we organized a meal train to ensure that the family was fed for three weeks, in the hopes that the family could spend time together and not have to worry about where their next meal was coming from. You will find an enclosed latter from a child from that family.