Mona Phay’s family always gathers to celebrate her birthday, but this year, it looked a little different.

Phay lives at The Heartland, an assisted living community that’s currently closed to visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Phay’s family still found a way to celebrate her 89th birthday on Sunday, gathering in the parking lot to sing “Happy Birthday” as Phay listened from the porch.

“She broke down in tears to begin with, but then she was smiling,” said Tracy Darrah, her daughter.

Alongside other family members, Phay’s three daughters joined the celebration: Darrah and Jody Frazier in Powell, and Sherry Sigmann in California, who sang via a video call.

Usually, the family celebrates birthdays with a dinner. But due to concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus, they kept their distance this year.

“... Everybody’s self-quarantining, because we don’t want to get anybody sick,” Darrah said.

While they can’t speak face-to-face right now, Phay’s family members are calling her every day.

“She’s coping. It’s tough,” Darrah said.

But she said The Heartland staff does their best, providing as many activities as they can to help residents stay busy.

“We’re all coping — we’ve got to,” Darrah said. “We have no choice, so just make the best of a bad situation. That’s all you can do.”

Watch a video of the birthday celebration below.

— By Tessa Baker