Smiles are contagious. Dillon Lineberger did not let COVID-19 stand in his way of putting a smile on his grandfather’s face.
In order to see one another, one local family had to be creative in the midst of a pandemic protocol.
Gene Rowbotham was admitted into North Arkansas Regional Medical Center (NARMC) last Friday. Then, visitors were allowed but limited. Since then, NARMC had to make a tough call. For the safety of their patients and staff, hospital officials restricted visitors earlier this week.
“I had talked to my mom earlier that day and she told me if I could get off work early I needed to go see him. I rushed to get off as early as I could and when I got to the hospital and learned they wouldn’t let me in to see him because of the virus, it was disheartening,” Dillon recalled. “But she mentioned going to the Hudson’s parking lot so that I could at least wave to him and maybe make his day a little better. Sometimes seeing family helps as much as anything else can when you’re sick and alone in the hospital.”
For Gene, seeing his grandson out the window was the comfort he needed.
“He did this on his own to show his love for his grandpa. Since he couldn’t come in to see me, he parked in the Hudson’s parking lot,” Gene said of Dillon. “It meant so much to me.”
NARMC’s top priority is providing quality care to its community. It brings the NARMC team joy knowing families are finding reasons to smile during this difficult time.