Hannah Topp knew she couldn’t spend Mother’s Day with her mom, who was on a ventilator in the Texas Medical Center, after fighting coronavirus for her life.
The last five weeks had tested the Topp family, as Hannah, her dad and her three older brothers were forced to confront what no family should: The possibility that the mom could die.
With her still hospitalized Sunday, it made for a Mother’s Day unlike any other — a reminder that coronavirus impacts not only those it infects, but also the families.
Eleana Topp, a 57-year-old Realtor and devout Catholic, lived to help others. “That’s the reason I married her,” said her husband, Daniel Topp, 63. “There’s not a mean bone in her body.”
The family in Kingwood couldn’t talk to or hug her. But recently — after so much worry — her prognosis has seemed to improve.
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Doctors are weaning Eleana off the ventilator and bringing her back to consciousness. So Hannah, her siblings and friends recorded messages they hoped would encourage her as she woke up.
“Hi Mom, happy Mother’s Day,” 18-year-old Hannah said in hers. “I’m sorry things have to be this way. You are constantly on my mind and the weight of fearing the worst is leaving a dent in my heart.”
She continued, “I hate this stupid disease and what it has stolen from me… Please come back to me and back to all of us.”
***
Hannah in March thought her parents were joking when, in the kitchen, they told her that her mom needed to get tested for COVID-19. One of her clients had tested positive. She did, too.
But Hannah didn’t feel worried — not yet.
The family faced the illness day-by-day. Her husband updated their 25-year-old, Alexander, in Washington, D.C. The three kids at home helped take food to their mom, whom they considered a fighter.
Eleana was wheezing and moaning. Leonard, 22, heard her labored breathing as he did his schoolwork. Was she OK? he would ask. Did she need water?
On April 1, they drove Eleana to the hospital. The family waited in the parking lot while staff admitted her. Caretakers brought back her purse and clothes.
Hannah had never felt such a state of panic.
“She could just die right now,” the Kingwood High School senior remembered thinking.
***
The family tried to video call their mom. She rested on her hospital bed, unresponsive.
Nickolas Topp, 19, felt heartbroken seeing his mom like that — looking as if she were on the verge of death.
Among the four kids, he felt he took after his mom, who was calm, gentle and relaxed. He loved how she could link everything to faith and he prayed for her nightly.
He didn’t know what else to do.
“What can I do?” Nickolas said. “I’m just me, still a teenager. The only thing that I have left to do is just be there for her.”
Nickolas and Leonard had classwork to complete for Lone Star College. Hannah had advanced placement tests to take.
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Doctors intubated Eleana. The family pushed for her transfer to the medical center, where they hooked her to a machine that acted as her lungs.
They learned her client died.
“I just wanted to tell you that I love you and I am waiting for you,” Nickolas said in his voice message to his mom. “I hope you get better. We’re all waiting for you.”
***
The house felt quiet. Eleana, a native of Peru, wasn’t busy doing housework with the radio blasting Spanish-language music. She wasn’t in the kitchen, making paella or arroz con pollo.
Every day seemed the same, her condition unchanged.
Having a hard time, Leonard started gathering his family to pray. They went around the circle, maybe saying something nice about the person next to them or sharing a story about their mom.
“You guys are brothers and sisters forever,” their dad wanted them to remember. “You’re going to always be family.”
Leonard felt his outlook on his life changing. He had been unsure of what to do after school. Now, he wanted to commit to his goals — something he thought would make his mom proud.
He decided he would join the military.
“We do pray every night for God to send our messages to her in her sleep,” he said, “so hopefully she’s been hearing them.”
***
Recently, the Topp family got good news. Eleana tested negative for the virus. But things still felt touch and go, her husband said.
Friends were helping raise money for her treatment. Nora Dunleavy, 53, had the idea to get together the voice messages and make playlists to give her comfort.
Eleana was the first person she met when she moved to Texas. Dunleavy’s new neighbor came over to introduce herself, share about her family and give them plants.
“We want her to know how much we miss her and love her,” Dunleavy said.
Though it wasn’t clear what the future would bring for Eleana, at least, on Mother’s Day, the family had reason to hope. For dinner, with her absent, Daniel cooked meatloaf and potatoes for his kids.
emily.foxhall@chron.com
Emily Foxhall is the Texas Storyteller for the Houston Chronicle. Read her on our free site, chron.com, and on our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com. | emily.foxhall@chron.com | Twitter: emfoxhall
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