by: Mike Gallop
The pandemic is officially a year old, and everyone that I have spoken to has had a different experience. We will all remember this year forever, but the virus has impacted people differently. Some have lost loved ones and businesses, stamping 2020 as the most difficult year of their lives. Others don’t know anyone who has been sick, and their businesses are thriving. As I’ve said to some of you already, this pandemic is discriminatory. It hasn’t affected us equally, which makes the victims of the virus that much more tragic.
Paul Jones was literally larger than life. At 6’5” and 275lb, he was a monster on the football field and rugby pitch. I went to East Hampton High School with Paul for four years, and he was my teammate. You know those people in your life that never stop smiling? The people that somehow make you smile even if you’re in a foul mood? That was Paul. He was tough as nails on the field, but off it he showed nothing but kindness and empathy. A real-life teddy bear.
Paul was diagnosed with Covid-19 in October, and since then he has been battling several health issues. Jill and I found out last week that those issues had recently become very serious, and last week he was hospitalized. In a matter of days, Paul fell into a coma, was put on life support, and then showed no brain activity. He was pronounced dead on Friday afternoon. Paul Jones had just turned 41 years old, and had three children.
The outpouring of support from our small hometown has been inspiring--our friends raised $50,000 in the first 24 hours of the Gofundme page for his family, and eclipsed the $100k mark in less than a week. This community response is not surprising at all when you take into account the type of man that we lost, and the amount of people that he affected over the years.
I wanted to share this story because, until last week, I had not been directly touched by the pandemic. I know people who have lost loved ones and battled the disease, but there were always multiple degrees of separation. Losing Paulie really hit home for me and my friends back in New York. And it also made me realize that I have not had enough empathy for the families who have lost loved ones due to this awful virus. It’s too easy to be selfish about life’s inconveniences and ignore others' strife. I feel guilty about this, and am hoping this serves as a reminder that we are all still fighting this in one way or another. I hope that the next time I am faced with an issue like this pandemic that I can remember losing a legend like Paulie, and extend grace and sympathy to those impacted the most.
1998 New England All Star Tournament
Left to Right: Twin brother Ryan, Paulie Jones, Nick Finazzo, Colin Lillie, yours truly (save the hair jokes).
Opinions expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of SagePoint Financial, Inc.