We found a Maine surgeon to do the partial hip replacement, but Dad was worried about the risks. The surgeon assured us that the operation was routine; his vital signs were normal and his heart rate was strong. Within 24 to 48 hours, he told us, Dad would move to a nearby rehab facility.

Indeed, the operation was a success. Within a day, Dad was standing and ready for rehab. But the days stretched on. All the rehab beds in the area, we were told, were filled, mostly by unvaccinated covid patients.

Finally, a spot opened in a facility 90 minutes away, where 20 percent of the patients had active covid. As a patient there, Dad would immediately, and indefinitely, be quarantined. But even that less-than-desirable option was not to be: He had contracted MRSA, a virulent infection commonly transmitted in hospitals. In other words, he became infected in the hospital by a hospital-borne disease. Soon he was battling multiple infections, and rehab became a distant dream.

Incredibly, just over a week ago, we learned that his unvaccinated nurse had been diagnosed with covid. Dad entered quarantine again. He spiked a fever, tested positive for covid and spiraled toward death.