newYou can listen to the Fox News article!
On Tuesday, September 10, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is scheduled to testify publicly before Congress for the first time about COVID-19 nursing home policies and his March 25, 2020, directive that forced the state’s nursing homes to admit more than 9,000 coronavirus patients. Many will be very interested in the subcommittee’s findings and report, which will be released in the coming weeks.
Our family has been waiting for this moment for years. It’s hard to put into words what it feels like to finally be in the same room with the person many believe was involved in the death of our loved one. I have said many times that if Governor Cuomo had shown some remorse for his actions, met with families or written condolence cards instead of chasing a $5 million book deal while tens of thousands of New Yorkers were dying alone, we would not be in the situation we are in today, still waiting for answers and explanations.
When I told close friends I was heading to Washington to watch Andrew Cuomo be questioned by Congress, some asked me how I was feeling. To be honest, I don’t know if I’ve ever really processed those emotions. Over the past four years, I’ve been very vocal, turning my grief into action, writing essays, giving interviews, meeting with lawmakers to call for an impartial, bipartisan investigation into how our government has handled this once-in-a-lifetime pandemic.
Governor Cuomo to Testify on COVID-19 Orders, Nursing Home Deaths, SPOX Predicts “Master Class in Gaslighting”
Sadly, that has never happened here in New York, but in Washington, D.C., we are interested in finding answers, and we are grateful to the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic for tackling an issue that New York has long tried to bury.
I have gotten to know many grieving families over the years, and our shared tragedy brings us together, and on Tuesday we will watch the former governor speak.
Janice Dean: Cuomo’s COVID-19 nursing home policies robbed my parents-in-law of their 60th wedding anniversary
Before heading to Washington, DC on Tuesday, I asked my sister-in-law, Donna Johnson, and friends Vivian Zayas and Peter Irbeney to share their thoughts about finally arriving so close to our family and a former governor who seemed completely unconcerned about what we went through in the spring of 2020.
Here are their responses:
Peter Arbini, son of Norman Arbini
“I was in the same room as the son of the great Mario Cuomo. Mario met my mother personally many years ago and was someone she respected. Mario inspired me to become a Democrat. When I had the chance, I voted for his son, Andrew Cuomo. Andrew should have accepted our family’s invitation to meet at my father’s home and apologize.”
“This congressional hearing brings me one step closer to a promise I made after my father passed away four and a half years ago. I promised him I would not visit his gravesite until an investigation was completed into why he was lied to by the Cuomo Administration.”
Ana Martinez’s daughter, Vivian Zayas
“Nearly five years after my mother’s death, I never imagined this day would come. I have fought tirelessly for this moment, through pain, grief and countless setbacks. And now, standing so close to him as he makes this decision that has taken so much from me and so many others, fills me with complex emotions that are difficult to describe. The anger I have carried, the grief that never fades, and the determination that has driven me all collide in this moment. But my determination is stronger than ever. I will look him in the eyes, and he will know that I am still here, refusing to back down in the fight for the justice my mother, and so many others, deserve.
Click here to read more FOX News Opinion
My mother’s life mattered. Her death, like the thousands of elderly people who have died, could have been prevented. His mother was less important than my mother and his decisions will not be buried with them. We, the family left behind, are as defiant as he was and determined to seek justice for those who deserve better. The elderly needed protection but instead were left defenseless and vulnerable. He abandoned them and in so doing, abandoned us.
“We need to hold him accountable, but we also need to hold everyone else involved in these decisions accountable.”
Donna Johnson, daughter of Michael and Dolores Newman
“I’ve been feeling very anxious since I found out I will be appearing in person to testify against Governor Andrew Cuomo, but the horror my family went through is still in the back of my mind. Don’t get me wrong, it’s always been in my mind, I’m just trying to tuck it away for a bit. I’m also disheartened because I’ve never heard the disgraced former governor tell the truth.”
What I want to see in this testimony is accountability and the truth once and for all. That’s what we need to know.
I am also an elderly person, Assisted Living Or maybe he’ll end up in a rehab facility one day, but we need to know what decisions Andrew Cuomo makes to prevent history from repeating itself.
Four years of no accountability. The truth is long overdue.”
Click here to get the FOX News app
For my part, I think I have to wait a bit longer before sharing my feelings. I am inclined to forgive Andrew Cuomo, because people who talk about forgiveness say it’s more for the person who was hurt than the person who hurt them. But I’m not there yet. I can’t imagine Andrew Cuomo suddenly pretending to be remorseful or empathetic.
Instead, I believe Andrew Cuomo will continue to, as always, excuse himself, blame others, and lie to protect himself, instead of doing what he should have done from the start: protect our loved ones through this once-in-a-lifetime pandemic.
For more information on Janice Dean click here
