From the Publisher (Trib Total Media, LLC.): “In the earliest days of the pandemic, Covid-19 cut a deadly path through Pennsylvania’s nursing homes. When the governor hinted at closing the facilities to the public, TribLive (also known as the Tribune-Review) reporter JoAnne Klimovich Harrop had no doubt in what she would do as a result. One hour before the doors of her mother’s Pittsburgh nursing home closed, JoAnne walked away from all that was precious – her husband, her home, and her career – to live in her 93-year-old mother’s 250-square-foot room for the next three months. She slept on a cot next to her mother’s bed, ate meals with her, and showered in a shared room with other residents. They talked about life, death, and her mother’s beloved Pittsburgh Pirates. They laughed, cried, and thanked God they were together.
Eventually, the pandemic proved to be the least of their problems. Midway through JoAnne’s stay, her mother was diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer. Amid her turmoil, JoAnne learned that she would be among the many reporters furloughed as the pandemic sapped her company’s revenues. Her story, first appearing in the pages of the Tribune-Review, elicited an outpouring of raw, poignant introspection as readers asked themselves what they would do in her situation.
Eventually, JoAnne left the nursing home to rejoin the life she had left behind to be with her mother. The return to her former life and the mental anguish that came with it proved more difficult than she could have ever imagined. This story, both heartwarming and heartbreaking, chronicles the joy and pain of their time together. ‘a daughter’s promise’ reveals the bond between a mother and daughter that was so strong, not even a global pandemic could tear them apart.”
More info About the Author: “JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a features writer for TribLive. She celebrated 26 years with the company on Oct. 14, 2023.
When she was hired in 1997, JoAnne was the first full time female reporter in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s sports department.
JoAnne currently writes stories about interesting people and fun places from food to real estate, arts and entertainment and things to do in the city every weekend.
JoAnne has won multiple journalism awards, including the Society of Professional Journalists, several Keystone State awards and six Golden Quills.
Her most notable recognition was when she received one of the most prestigious journalism awards– a 2021 national Edward R. Murrow – for a story about quarantining with her 93-year-old mother Evelyn for 85 days in her Squirrel Hill nursing home during the 2020 pandemic. That story inspired a book by the same name.
JoAnne is a graduate of the former Sacred Heart High School and Pennsylvania State University.
A native of Greenfield, she has three older sisters and one older brother. She currently lives in Scott Township with her husband Perry.”
Event info Don’t miss out: JoAnne Klimovich Harrop will be one of the authors at the Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books on May 11, 2024 at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in East Liberty.
Why did you want to write this book?
My hope is to inspire those who read to book to appreciate their parents. Moms and dads are special people. They love their children unconditionally. A friend of mine told me that my siblings and I hit the jackpot with our parents and I truly believe that. I hope that people will spend more time with their parents because once they are gone, they are gone forever, and you can’t get that time back with them.
We all have a pandemic story… what makes yours unique?
My editor Susan McFarland and I are not aware of any other child who quarantined in a nursing home with a parent during the pandemic. There may have been but most likely that person wasn’t a reporter. I kept a journal and took pictures and videos for the initial story which ran in the paper and on TribLive.com. The president of TribLive, Jennifer Bertetto, believed in my story so much that she helped get the book published.
I cried every day writing this book. My mother Evelyn was my best friend and I am so grateful I had this time with her. Reliving those days in the nursing home was emotional as you can imagine. I was fortunate to have an editor who gave me the time I needed to take breaks from the writing process. It truly was the hardest story I’ve ever written and when I read the finished version I cried again, just as I had every day writing the book.
Copies of “a daughter’s promise” can be purchased on BookBaby.com and on a-daughters-promise.spiritsale.com/.
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