Wolf and Anita Gottschalk have been married for 60 years but now, they were being forced to live apart. The nursing home where they were assigned ran out of space both of them, so they put the husband on a waiting list to get into the same facility. He has been struggling with dementia and has recently been diagnosed with cancer.
For eight months, the wife had to travel 30 minutes to see her husband. When it is time for them to separate, it is heartbreaking and they say goodbye as if it could be the last time they see each other.
Their granddaughter, Ashley Barytik, took a picture of them as they were crying before parting. After posting it online, it has gone viral and has sparked considerable outrage.
You can see the story through pictures below:
“This is the saddest photo I have ever taken. This is my Omi and my Opi. As you can see, they are both wiping away tears! But why? It was taken in Surrey at Yale Road, a transitional facility for people waiting to get into nursing homes, that’s where my Opi is!”
“After 62 years together in marriage, they have been separated for [eight] months due to backlogs and delays by our health care system, whom [sic] have the power to have my grandpa moved to the same care facility as my grandmother.”
“They cry every time they see each other, and it is heartbreaking. To make it worse, TODAY he was diagnosed with lymphoma. Besides that limiting his time and making this more urgent, his dementia is growing ever stronger each day, but his memory of my grandmother has not faded a [sic] inch… yet. We are afraid, however, that if they are living apart much longer, his memory of her won’t stay.”
“This has been a strain on our family, making the 30-minute commute to bring her to see him, every second day, so he does not forget her. Now with the news of cancer, our fight to have them in the same facility is even more urgent. He isn’t even getting proper care where he is, including no physical therapy, which we were promised (the only reason he is in a wheelchair is because it has been [eight] months of no walking!!)”
“They deserve this! Financially, physically, and emotionally exhausted, me and my family are begging for your help, my friends. We have contacted our local MLA, called Fraser Health, and done in-person inquiries, but none of our questions and concerns have been answered.”
“We want justice for my grandparents who after 62 years together deserve to spend their last moments in the same building. Please share this and tag anyone that needs to see this post to get the help we need!”
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