(Editor’s Note: please click on the link at the bottom of the story to view a powerful video about Mylissa Smith)
By R.V. Baugus
The pictures and images are difficult to stomach when we watch them on television. Elderly and sick people are isolated in a room while loved ones are unable to visit. There is a peek through a window, a hand-held sign, something — anything — to symbolically touch a loved one when it is impossible to physically touch.
Wes Smith is the Director of Safety and Security at the Charleston (WV) Coliseum and Convention Center. He lost his beautiful wife of more than 30 years, Mylissa, from COVID-19 back on October 3 of last year.
“She was in the hospital for four weeks fighting this disease (COVID-19) without any face-to-face contact 
and no opportunity for a family member to advocate for their loved one,” said long-time IAVM member John Robertson, who before retiring worked with Wes at the venue. “It probably happened to many but hits home when it is one of our own.”
Now, the state legislature is proposing House Bill 2368 “Mylissa Smith’s Law” to require hospitals to allow a family member in to see a patient, even during a pandemic. It has passed the West Virginia House Judiciary Committee unanimously and goes to the floor soon. The law is named in honor of Mylissa Smith, who worked tirelessly and was dedicated to service as a Kanawha County hospice nurse. Mylissa is among four West Virginia nurses to die from COVID-19. The onset of her illness occurred while she was doing what she loved — taking care of the elderly and those not able to receive loved ones.
Local Eyewitness News produced a very powerful, moving YouTube video about Mylissa that we strongly encourage you to view by clicking here.
