A COVID survivor and 2-Times Breast Cancer Survivor, Elizabeth Rodriguez wears a mask to protect herself and others. “So you need to wear your mask a bit longer…so be it! This outweighs having to be hooked up to a ventilator… don’t you agree?”
Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Liz moved to the U.S. when she was six years old. She had held many positions in her long career, including working as an oral Spanish teacher for the Peace Corp, and as a Mental Health worker for the Adult Outpatient Department of the Upper Manhattan Mental Health Center, a program for young pregnant women to cut down on Infant Mortality. Citibank and Philp Morris are among her long list of employers. She is currently volunteering for Assisted Home Care Services.
At 74, Liz feels blessed! Besides surviving COVID-19, Liz’s trials and tribulations include two battles with Breast Cancer, the 911 attack, a Pacemaker Implant to regulate her heart beats and three Heart Ablations for Atrial Fibrillation, which almost took her life. In Mid-March, Liz contracted COVID. Her quarantine lasted two months.
“I’m constantly thinking that when I leave this planet, what is the world going to be like for my children and my grandchildren?” During her isolation, Liz learned to value time, people and apparent insignificant things. She has been painting bottles as a pastime. Once she recovered, she started volunteering for her community again. Liz has two children and many nieces and nephews, spread out over New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and California. “In the end...family is all that matters. Not money, but love. This pandemic has taught us what’s really valuable in life. We need each other in order to survive!”
