SCRANTON, Pa. — Nursing homes across the state are no longer allowing visitors amid the Coronavirus pandemic.
That presented a challenge for a family last week; their mom, Dorothy Partyka was turning 86.
Her son, Jack Partyka, said that as long as he's been living, he's never missed one of his mom's birthdays.
"Twenty-eight years ago today, I made a promise to my dad, when he passed away, that I would take care of my mom and watch over her," Jack said.
Jack usually visits his mom at Mountain View Care Center in on Stafford Avenue every day.
That stopped several weeks ago when the facility started restricting visits, but the staff came up with a solution to Dorothy's birthday last week.
Jack and his family got to see Dorothy for the first time in two weeks and sing "Happy Birthday" through one of the facilities' windows.
"It was very emotional, something that we didn't know would happen happened. Just to seeing her after two and a half weeks of not being able to see her, that close, even if it was through a window, was just so satisfying and emotional," Jack added.
Dorothy suffers from dementia. Her family worries about how the break-in routine might affect her.
But, they now have a memory of her 86th birthday — some normalcy during an uncertain time.
The Partyka family is planning a big birthday party for Dorothy whenever they can all be together again.