Married Couple Receives COVID-19 Vaccine At Same Time In NoVA

BAILEY'S CROSSROADS, VA — On Thursday morning, Anne Stewart and Tony Tambasco rolled up their sleeves and received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time. That was a special moment for the couple, who celebrated their wedding just over four years ago in the same location.

Tambasco called it "sheer relief" to receive the vaccine. Stewart called it "miraculous." They are among the first independent living residents at Goodwin House Bailey's Crossroads, a senior living community. Vaccinations are beginning for the community's independent living residents after assisted living and memory care residents, as well as some staff, received their first doses.

Their time for the vaccine came after nearly a year after the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States. Stewart and Tambasco had just returned from a trip to Australia and New Zealand and were suddenly faced with an era of isolation from the outside world and finding ways to cope.

"I had a sense of security that Goodwin House was at least doing testing and tracing," said Tambasco. The facility has managed positive coronavirus cases through testing, quarantine and isolation.

That has helped him focus on activities to deal with the isolation.

"Goodwin House gave us everything we've needed," added Stewart. "We've had great food, nursing care if we need it, a beautiful apartment and still, for me, it's been hard."

A mother of four and grandmother of 10, Stewart said the most difficult part has been missing family. Luckily, she had Tony to spend time with, and both have spent plenty of time with Netflix and Zoom.

A Marriage Made at Goodwin House

Tambasco and Stewart hadn't been together when they first moved into Goodwin House in 2010, but they had similar reasons for ending up there.

Tambasco was a Georgetown University professor at the time, and his wife needed caregiving. He found it hard to give consistent caregiving at home while he was working, and moving into Goodwin House provided his wife that care and improved her quality of life.

Stewart worked for Syracuse University when her Stewart's husband moved into the nursing section at Goodwin House. She soon moved out of her home into an apartment at Goodwin House. Both of their spouses have since passed away.

Stewart and Tambasco got to know each other when they were tapped as co-chairs of gift fund for Goodwin House employees. Every year, that gift fund spearheads fundraising to provide gifts to the staff of around 400. After getting to know each other, they were ready to tie the knot a year later.

In 2016, they were married on New Year's Eve and held a reception with their family at Goodwin House. Tambasco recalls they rang in the new year in Rio de Janeiro time — 9 p.m. local time — since attendees wouldn't be able to stay up until midnight. Now they're known as the couple who celebrates their anniversary on New Year's Eve, and they hope a celebration can be held next time around.

Retirement and Life during the Pandemic

Despite being retired, Stewart and Tambasco have found ways to keep working. Upon retiring about seven years ago from Syracuse University, Stewart has been a docent at the Library of Congress, although that is paused due to the pandemic. Tambasco retired from Georgetown University after 35 years in 2015. He continued with part-time teaching for several years and now is part of the retired faculty teaching non-credit courses.

Even during the pandemic, the pair stays busy with numerous activities. Stewart has used Zoom for staying in touch with family, as well as taking art history courses and participating in book club.

Tambasco leads book discussions through his church and runs a spiritual life committee at Goodwin House. That work has included putting together a series of panels for Goodwin House on different sorts of crises related to the pandemic. Both are on the board of Goodwin House's foundation, and Tambasco is on the Goodwin House board.

Tambasco said the time in isolation has also provided time for reflection. Among the things the couple has become conscious of are systemic issues relating to the pandemic and the anti-racism movement. Goodwin House residents have held outdoor demonstrations and ceremonies to fight racism, and Tambasco says they are looking for ways to help on the local level.

The couple has also become more aware of the struggles Goodwin House staff face. One of these realities was employees being asked to choose between their job at Goodwin House and other work for the purpose of reducing possible exposure to residents. That could be a difficult decision for residents who get supplemental income from another job.

Despite the challenges of working during the pandemic, the staff have shown dedication. Many workers chose to stay at Goodwin House when asked to choose between their jobs.

Tambasco also said at the beginning of the pandemic, staff in the nursing and assisted units showed willingness to care for COVID-19 patients who are isolated in a separate nursing wing. Goodwin House's foundation found a way to thank employees with bonuses and increasing salaries, as well as coupons to get discounted groceries from Goodwin House's in-house grocery market. In cases when staff have to quarantine or isolate at home, Goodwin House will also send food or someone to check on them. That's the "family relationship" Tambasco says they have.

Stewart is looking forward to the day that full immunity can be reached and life gets back to some kind of normality. But before then, she believes elderly residents can step up. Citing a recent sermon, she believes the elderly who are vaccinated can get out and help others in need who aren't yet vaccinated. It's all in the spirit of Goodwin House's encouragement of volunteerism.

"We owe it to others to get out there and help other people in any way we can," she said.