PEABODY — It is said that opportunity knocks but once. In the case of Judi Corbishley and her mother, Alma Barrett, it knocked twice.
Thanks to a little ingenuity and a desire that would not be denied, Corbishley not only finagled a way to only hug her mother for the first time in nearly a year but, in the process, she also found a way to personally administer her mother her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Corbishley, a Lynn resident, works as a certified technician in the pharmacy department at a CVS store in Woburn. Barrett, 86, had lived in Lynn all of her life before moving to an assisted living unit at the Harriet and Ralph Kaplan Estates in Peabody in October 2019.
Since visitation restrictions were relaxed by the state in early June, Corbishley, her four siblings and uncle have each been able to visit Barrett only once every six weeks due to Kaplan’s policy of allowing one just visit per week.
In early December, that all changed when CVS asked for volunteers to become certified immunization technicians to administer vaccinations at assisted living and nursing home facilities. Corbishley didn’t take long to realize that this was just the ticket she was waiting for.
“As soon as I heard CVS was administering the vaccine to assisted living homes, I immediately signed up to get certified so I could do the clinics,” Corbishley said. “I said my only condition was they had to guarantee that I could give my mother her vaccination, and they said they would. When I told my mother about it, I think she told every single person at Kaplan that she was going to get her shots from me.”
Corbishley received her immunization certification the week before Christmas. On Jan. 12, she entered her mother’s apartment for the first time since March 2020 to administer the shot.
“The first thing I did was hug her for five minutes,” said Corbishley. “With visitation, physical contact isn’t allowed, but I knew that I had to touch her anyway to make sure she was relaxed before the injection, so I just decided I had to hug her. Honestly, I didn’t want to let go. My heart is still full from that day.”
Corbishley used her time in the apartment to straighten up a few things, such as taking down Thanksgiving decorations, and otherwise “make it feel a little more like home.”
The moment was that much more meaningful as the family decided to forgo their annual Christmas get-together.
“We had the choice of bringing my mother to my house, where we always have Christmas, but we all decided it wasn’t worth her safety, especially with the vaccine being available. This was the first Christmas we have ever not been together, but we know it was the right thing to do.”
Barrett said she couldn’t be more proud of her daughter.
“I was so excited that Judi gave me my shot and am extremely proud of her,” Barrett said. “Just yesterday I was telling people that I call her a ‘voulunteer-er’ as people are always coming to her for help. She has been helping people for years.”
Barrett’s next dose will be administered on Feb. 2.
“I can’t wait to go back to give her the second shot knowing she can remain healthy and safe,” said Corbishley. “I’m lucky because visitation is still just once a week and we all have to take turns, so it’s painful not to be able to see her as often as we wished, adding the family tried to arrange for more frequent visitation due to having a large family.
“We tried, but Kaplan said they had to follow the rules,” said Corbishley. “Honestly, we understand that and have no complaints about the way Kaplan has operated to keep their residents safe. They are doing what they have to do and we appreciate that.
“All I know is that I can’t really explain it, but to be able to hug my mother and know that she is safe was, and is still, just an incredible feeling.”
