![\"Ida](\"https:\/\/toronto.ctvnews.ca\/polopoly_fs\/1.5061916!\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/landscape_960\/image.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAfter almost three months apart from each other, Ida and Steven Staryk had a sweet reunion on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn’t believe it,\u201d Ida tells CTV News Toronto. \u201cIt was so fantastic. Missed him so much!\u201d<\/p>\n
The couple, who\u2019ve been married for 57 years, had been preparing to move into a North York retirement residence in March when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Their plans were put on hold until summer, but then Ida had a fall that left her in hospital. She then had to spend two weeks in isolation prior to moving into their new home together.<\/p>\n
\u201cIda and Steven [had] not seen each other since May 12,\u201d says Carolina Gonzaga, sales and marketing coordinator at Advent Forestview Retirement Residence, which is managed by Verve Senior Living. \u201cThe fact that they\u2019ve managed to stay together for this long, and then the hardship of being apart for three months during a time when they\u2019re both facing challenges with their health, makes this reunion particularly sweet.\u201d<\/p>\n
The staff at Forestview wanted to make reuniting Ida and Steven an occasion to remember, so they planned out a few special touches, including flowers and dinner for two. They also invited a violinist along to serenade them through their meal.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re actually life-long professional violinists, very involved in the Toronto Symphony Orchestra,\u201d Gonzaga says of the Staryks. \u201cThey met in Amsterdam working for the orchestra there, and as Steven says he stole Ida away from Amsterdam and brought her to Canada. Violin is a part of their love story and a part of the tapestry of their life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was such a marvelous surprise,\u201d Ida says of the musical performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cVery, very nice,\u201d agrees Steven. \u201cVery touching.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Staryks admit that there was some loneliness during their time apart, and say that they had never been without each other for that length of time before.<\/p>\n
“Never. Very awful, very lonely,\u201d Ida says of the experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, the one thing we did continue, we phoned,\u201d Steven says.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, every day he phoned me or I phoned him,\u201d Ida agrees.<\/p>\n
Gonzaga says it\u2019s been difficult to watch seniors face isolation over the last few months.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are people that are facing all of the challenges we face with COVID-19, but they\u2019re a lot older,\u201d she tells CTV News Toronto. \u201cAnd so the fear of not being able to see life return back to normal is more intense for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Ida](\"https:\/\/toronto.ctvnews.ca\/polopoly_fs\/1.5061913!\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/landscape_960\/image.jpg\")
Steven and Ida say they have spent the last day or so getting reacquainted at their new retirement residence. When asked by CTV News what keeps their marriage strong, Steven says it\u2019s a “mutual outlook on life.”<\/p>\n
“And the things that we have in common, the music, is still there,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n
When asked about her feelings for her husband, Ida says \u201cHe\u2019s the only man I\u2019ve ever loved!\u201d<\/p>\n
The staff at Forestview say they are thrilled for the Staryks and are happy to have been able to provide a moment of celebration for them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are just classy, lovely people. And they\u2019re very resilient,\u201d says Gonzaga.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes, you get a story that just guts you and gets you excited and reminds why you work in this industry, and this is that story.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After almost three months apart from each other, Ida and Steven Staryk had a sweet reunion on Tuesday night. \u201cI couldn’t believe it,\u201d Ida tells CTV News Toronto. \u201cIt was so fantastic. Miss …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4185,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspired-senior-living"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n