by Tyler Brown

May 29, 2021

-WHAM13

 

Many people use Memorial Day weekend to catch up with friends and family.

But for those with family just across the Canadian border, it’s still not possible.

Jennifer Green-Wilson is fully vaccinated and has been patiently waiting to see her mom for a year and a half. But the border remains closed – and the wait is getting harder.

She and her mother, Mary Lou Graceland-Green, have only seen each other through a computer screen for the past 17 months.

“It’s pretty hard,” Green-Wilson said.

She lives in Rochester. Her mother is in Ontario, Can.

While they only live three hours away from each other, the drive is impossible due to Canada’s borders still being closed.

“We’ve been able to span the distance quite well, but it’s pretty hard, and I, I keep staying hopeful that the border will open up soon,” Green-Wilson said.

But so far that hasn’t happened.

The ban on non-essential travel across the Canadian border is set to expire in June, but it could be extended again.

Wilson-Green says the wait to see and hug her family gets harder by the day.

“This whole pandemic has been very disorienting and I think that is absolutely frustrating,” she said. “It would be so comforting to be able to get across the border.”

Her mother says while she wants to see her daughter and grandchildren again, the wait will be worth it.

“It’s really hard,” Graceland-Green said. “But we all have to understand the rules and stay home so we don’t spread this pandemic.”

Green-Wilson says she and her mom have tried to find more creative ways to keep in touch, including sending each other letters, cards, and even puzzles.

c. WHAM13