This story is a favorite of mine because it had such a happy ending: She got home with her husband and called, after they arrived, to let me know. And it was snowing that afternoon up there at their home in British Columbia.
鈥 Patty Machelor
Theresa Masterman and her husband, Jack.
Theresa Masterman has been trying to get her husband out of Tucson and back home to Kelowna, British Columbia, for days now, but the lack of tests for the coronavirus is making it impossible.
Jack Masterman, 89, fell at their Tucson home and was taken to Tucson Medical Center on March 14 after developing pneumonia. There鈥檚 been a bed waiting for him at a skilled nursing rehabilitation center near their home in Canada for four days now, but Theresa Masterman can鈥檛 get him there because either the air ambulance company or the facility in British Columbia 鈥 or both 鈥 want a negative test first.
People are also reading…
Since her husband does not have any virus symptoms, he鈥檚 not a testing priority in the U.S. Theresa Masterman is worried about losing the bed back home and she鈥檚 distraught about not being able to visit him since TMC imposed its no-visitor rule.
鈥淚 feel that we are being held hostage,鈥 she said. 鈥淵ou鈥檇 think they鈥檇 do it for inpatient.鈥
She says she鈥檚 been getting 鈥渕ixed messages鈥 about what鈥檚 needed for this to work. She鈥檚 called everywhere she can think of in Canada to see if she could get a test sent down, but nothing has materialized.
鈥淚 haven鈥檛 seen him in five days,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just horrible.鈥
Contact reporter Patty Machelor at pmachelor@tucson.com or 806-7754. On Twitter: @pattymachstar
Patty Machelor
Reporter
