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One by one, European countries report a record number of infections. Which led to restrictions, isolation and a state of emergency. Although it is a small state, Belgium has one of the highest infection rates. The government is concerned that the pandemic will spiral out of control. The country also has one of the highest death rates on the continent.
One thing is clear: COVID-19 turned our routine upside down with bans on contact, physical distance and the use of masks. But the virus has also changed lives. Family members and friends of sick or even deceased people know this very well. Like Lorenzo, a 10-year-old Belgian boy. It lives in a region declared, among the first, outbreaks of coronavirus, in March. His story tells the horrors of the pandemic infinitely more than the statistics. See a report from “Focus Europa”, a project by Digi24 and Deutsche Welle. The show airs on Friday at 11:30 p.m. and resumes on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Lorenzo never knew until he was 10 what loneliness meant. Since the pandemic, he found out.
“I’ve always slept here, but now I feel like I’m missing something. Something is no longer right,” says the boy.
Lorenzo misses his grandfather, Luc.
– He was the greatest grandfather.
– You seemed very happy.
– It really was.
“If the disease hadn’t gotten here, none of this would have happened.”
Lorenzo Brams was raised by his grandparents who took him everywhere. Luc was the one who waited for Lorenzo to get out of school every day. But the elderly man fell ill with COVID-19 in March and died – he was the first coronavirus victim in Sint-Truiden.
The boy was then confused and upset.
“I think that if the disease had never reached Belgium, none of this would have happened,” says Lorenzo.
Grandma Jeanine struggled to find a way to explain to Lorenzo that his grandfather would never return from the hospital.
“I tried to tell him that his grandfather … was no longer with us. We couldn’t believe it either,” confesses Jeanine van de Weghe, Lorenzo’s grandmother.
Jeanine had to deal with her own suffering, but also that of her daughter and her nephew. Lorenzo is still sad because he did not say goodbye to his grandfather.
“These are my grandfather’s glasses. And these are the names of all those who want to see him again,” the boy points to a table where he keeps souvenirs with his grandfather.
He decided that he would do anything for his grandfather
Meanwhile, Lorenzo invited me to say goodbye to his grandfather in another way … when the mayor decided to erect a monument in memory of all those killed by the coronavirus.
“We said from the beginning that it would be impressive to have the testimony of a child who has lost his grandfather or grandmother,” says Veerle Heeren, mayor of Sint-Truiden.
Then the mayor asked Lorenzo if he would like to speak at the ceremony. Initially, the boy refused.
“I thought they would laugh at me,” Lorenzo said.
“Why should I laugh at you?”
– I do not know. I was thinking about what I was going to say … and when I spoke about my grandfather, I started to cry.
“We told him that it was all for grandfather. And then he changed his mind, decided that he would do anything for him,” says his grandmother, Jeanine van de Weghe.
“You were the best and you will always be the best”
At the ceremony on September 13, 2020, Lorenzo opened his heart and thus reached the hearts of all those present. He read a letter he wrote to his grandfather:
“Dear grandfather, I miss you very much. I am angry with the coronavirus. Annoyed by what happened. You have been the best and you will always be the best. Sincerely, Lorenzo”
“When you spoke there and people listened to you, what did you think they were thinking?”
– That I am brave.
And he realized that his anger was over.
“I’m happy to be here. I spoke honestly. And I felt better. Everyone felt better. Maybe even grandfather,” says the 10-year-old boy, outlining a smile.
Next spring, this part of the park where Lorenzo managed to reconcile himself with sadness will be planted with small blue flowers. With each one will blossom the promise that none of those who have left us will be forgotten.
Editor: Luana Pavaluca
