The narratives that interested my the most were the I Survived narratives.

One story in particular is Elmer Kretzschmar’s story. He lived in Iowa during this story with his mother, father, and older brother. He talks about fond memories he had of his father. His father had gotten very sick and a nurse ended up living with the family for 2 weeks and proceeded to leave after that. Once she left the father passed away. I found this one interesting because they had a nurse stay with them at their house and this isn’t something we have unless a woman is pregnant. We don’t have doctors or nurses go too houses to tend to the sick. I understand that it might help prevent the spread the disease then if he were to stay at the hospital, but it isn’t something we would do now. Why did the nurse just abruptly leave? Why didn’t she stay and try to help prepare the family for his passing? What exactly was her purpose for staying there anyway? The family could have taken care of the father if they were given instruction and medicine. 

Another story I found interesting is Jeanne Shinnick’s. Shinnick’s story had a darker undertone to it. This story takes place in Pennsylvania and is told by her son Drew. From this story we see that Jeanne had a very hard life. She had been through the Depression, World War II, and her fathers suicide. Jeanne was also a kid during the time of the flu pandemic, and had gotten sick. Drew says that her mother would go onto her front patio and see her neighbors, but the neighbors were dead. Her neighbors bodies were still at their house. Dead bodies were just  lying around on the streets and in people’s yards. This would not be allowed to happen in present time. Why did they just leave the bodies lying around? Why was it not a priority to dispose of the dead bodies properly?