Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Director of Microbiology Dr. Roberto Vargas worked long hours running tests at a hospital in Rochester, New York.
Because of the risk of exposure, he made the difficult decision to isolate himself from his wife, Susan, and their four young kids. At the time of this conversation, he was living in the basement of their home.
Using StoryCorps Connect, Dr. Vargas spoke virtually with his wife Susan and their 10-year-old son Xavier about the toll that this setup has taken on them, and the ways they have come together as a family despite the distance.
Directed by
Richard O’Connor
Executive Producers
Dave Isay
Rachel Hartman
Producer
Savannah Winchester
Senior Audio Producer
Jud Esty-Kendall
Audio Produced by
Jud Esty-Kendall
Camila Kerwin
Supervising Sound Recordist
Jud Esty-Kendall
Audio Mixed By
Jarrett Floyd
Animation by
Ace & Son Moving Picture Co., LLC
Design by
Natalie Greene
Animators
Natalie Greene
Tasiya Zaretskaya
Liaure Yee
Original Music
Joshua Abrams
Music Performed by
Joshua Abrams
Hamid Drake
Marquis Hill
Emmett Kelly
Adam Thornburg
Music Mixed by
Joshua Abrams
Neil Strauch
Outro Music by
“Surly Bonds” by Blue Dot Sessions
From the Album Aeronaut
Published by Blue Dot Sessions
Special Thanks
Roberto Vargas
Xavier Vargas
Susan Vargas
In Partnership with
American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress
NPR
POV
Funding Provided by
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
A private corporation funded by the American people.
