Cameron Heyward is concerned for the grandmothers in Pittsburgh.
Actually, the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle is concerned for everyone in the city, but particularly the grandmothers.
Heyward penned an article titled “A Letter to Pittsburgh” in The Players’ Tribune, which was posted Thursday morning. The article addresses his concerns about the how the elderly is impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
A Pittsburgh native, Heyward tells a tale of his grandmother, Judy Jordan of Highland Park, making a trip to the Target in East Liberty at the outset of the outbreak. He emphasizes that she wasn’t stocking up on toilet paper, but merely returning an item to the store.
Wrote Heyward:
“Pittsburgh grandmas always got something to return, man! They live for that customer service window on a Saturday morning. They got the receipts. You know they got the receipts. Pittsburgh grandmas love being out ’n’ about, right? So that’s what we’re up against right now, Pittsburgh.
“And to some extent, you know what? I get it. When you come from a tough, hard-nosed town, and your family is filled with people who have lived through pretty much everything, there’s a tendency to think you’ll always be fine, no matter what.
“In some ways it’s endearing — it’s like a trademark of this place. Right now, though, that mind-set is one that’s very, very dangerous. And if we don’t work together to keep it in check, it’s going to put lots of people in our city at risk.”
“We’re all in this together, Pittsburgh. Let’s hunker down. Let’s be patient. Let’s do this for each other.”@steelers DE @CamHeyward has a message for his city.https://t.co/qc3cEtGF4F
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) April 2, 2020
Heyward implored citizens to check in on the elderly, their grandparents, their parents, and encourage them to follow self-isolation guidelines and to allow others to help with their needs. He wrote that his grandmother hasn’t returned to Target since that March morning.
“Protect them. Make this your mission,” he wrote.
As someone who has had asthma since he was a child, Heyward is at greater risk to contract covid-19 because of his condition.
“This virus is capable of taking down anyone, no matter how big and strong and healthy they might appear to be,” he wrote.
Heyward also asked that those citizens not financially impacted by the pandemic consider making a donation to the Emergency Action Fund at The Pittsburgh Foundation, which provides grants to nonprofits that assist senior citizens, health-care providers, children and the homeless. Heyward said the Emergency Action Fund already has generated $11 million in donations.
