Today (July 24) may not be the first time that South Surrey senior Doris Gage gets to hold her great-grandson Nash, but it will be the first time she does it amongst a crowd of more than two dozen family and friends, as they gather at a Langley park to celebrate his first birthday.

鈥淭he day we brought him home she was able to hold him,鈥� Gage鈥檚 granddaughter Meghan Mitchell recalled Friday (July 23), of Nash鈥檚 mid-pandemic arrival.

鈥淏ut then there were lulls鈥� sometimes three weeks or a month went by that I didn鈥檛 bring him鈥� for visits.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been quite a year, to say the least.鈥�

Gage, 95, has been living at Amica White Rock since last September, after moving from her White Rock apartment to an independent-living unit six months after the pandemic was declared.

At the time, public-health restrictions meant she went into an immediate two-week isolation period. And after that, months passed where visits were essentially limited to one person and had to be carefully planned. As well, personal protective equipment was an essential part of the equation and pre-pandemic norms such as hugging were off the table, seemingly indefinitely.

Mitchell, who describes herself as 鈥渁 hugger鈥� and her family as 鈥渧ery, very close,鈥� remembers it was difficult to adjust to life without that physical contact, and, sadly, how it initially felt foreign when restrictions started to ease in April, and those connections were once again within reach.

They came after a year of living with the fear of inadvertently exposing Gage 鈥� affectionately called 鈥淣an鈥� 鈥� to COVID-19, despite following all the rules and taking all the precautions.

鈥淥h my gosh, our first big hug was April 1 鈥� the first time, I want to say, almost since Nash was born,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was kind of the most awkward hug, because it had been so long.

鈥淚t was almost like, oh my gosh, this is happening? Now, it鈥檚 second-nature.鈥�

This week鈥檚 news that fully vaccinated visitors no longer have to schedule visits, wear masks or keep their distance from residents in their rooms is 鈥渁bsolutely鈥� a big deal, Mitchell said. It means Mitchell and her partner can visit Gage together, the entire family can plan dinners and visits and outings, there鈥檚 no screening process for visits, and if Gage has plans to go out, 鈥渟he signs herself out.鈥�

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鈥淛ust being able to celebrate,鈥� Mitchell added. 鈥淯s being unmasked and being able to see people鈥檚 faces is huge.鈥�

That latter piece alone has been interesting with Nash, she added. The tot鈥檚 life to date has consisted of interactions with mostly masked individuals, and now she and her partner get to watch as he processes that there鈥檚 鈥渁 whole other part鈥� to people鈥檚 faces.

When it comes to her Nan, however, there鈥檚 still a hint of fear where COVID is concerned, Mitchell admits.

鈥淥ur family is still COVID-cautious,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ecause she is 95.鈥�

鈥淲e still wear masks in the car鈥� we鈥檙e still quite cautious with that, because that鈥檚 our biggest fear, is getting Nan sick, because even a cold for her is worrisome at times.鈥�