But his latest line — urging people to cover up and keep their vaccines up to date — packs a big punch as hospitals across Ontario juggle a triple whammy of COVID-19, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), he says one of the leading doctors of the province.
“It’s really a call to action,” Dr. Robert Cushman, the acting medical officer of health for the Renfrew County and District Health Unit, told the Ottawa Citizen about Handleman’s weekend announcement.
“I mean, he definitely did a lot more than I can do — and that’s my job.”
The obituary came a day before Premier Doug Ford urged provincial residents to wear masks without mandating them — a message that Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore is expected to repeat during his remarks on Monday at 9am.
Handleman’s younger sister, Carol, wrote the obituary after thinking about it for a few days.
“Technology” prevented her from including a picture of her 66-year-old brother — a retired painter who stopped working professionally when he was diagnosed with a respiratory illness a decade ago, she said.
But the lack of a photo added to the obituary’s power, according to Cushman.
“It was so short and so to the point,” she said.
“I thought good would come of it”
Carol Handleman told CBC the recording was not intended as a political statement. She just wanted to alert the world to her brother’s death and “thought something good would come out of it.” According to the obituary, Perry Handleman died after his condition worsened following COVID-19. “His lungs were already very damaged and he couldn’t fight it,” Carol said. His final sentence said Handleman had asked his friends and family to “keep their vaccinations up to date and wear masks indoors to stay safe.” Handleman’s November 12 print obituary in the Ottawa Citizen contained three paragraphs. (Guy Quenneville/CBC)
Survived by 102-year-old mother
Carol said her brother lived alone in a mobile home and needed oxygen. He was in and out of the hospital many times because of his underlying disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). That’s consistent with people who develop COPD, which is most often caused by smoking, Cushman said. “These are the people who are most vulnerable to COVID,” he said. “This disease preys on the weak.” The Handlemans took the risk of COVID-19 very seriously, said Carol, whose 102-year-old mother lives with her in Perth, Ont. “Our whole MO of operation was to be as careful as we could: wear our masks, not go out, not all the nonsense we did,” he said. “All things we [previously] they did, we stopped doing them.” Handleman worked as a painter before developing a respiratory disease more than 10 years ago called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to his sister. He also wrote poetry, he said. (courtesy of Carol Handleman) Perry Handleman was vaccinated against COVID-19 at least four times, stayed home, had groceries delivered to his trailer and was visited by masked personal support workers, he added. “There are so many people who are not covered [in public]. And I just want to scream, “Don’t you have a brother you know or something?” I do not understand it”.
“He wanted me to stay safe”
Despite COPD, Handleman continued to smoke cigarettes. “He did everything else he could, but he couldn’t quit smoking,” Carol said, adding that he was diagnosed with COVID-19 in the hospital on or around Oct. 10, but had “no idea” how he contracted it. He never left hospital care after that point and died on October 31st. “Because he got COVID, he definitely wanted me to stay safe and he wanted his friends and family to keep up with their shots and also wear masks,” she said. The family was asked if there would be a gathering for Handleman, and Carol said maybe next summer – but not right now. “There are too many viruses around.”
