JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — For 114 days, Mary Daniel went without holding her husband Steve who is in memory care for Alzheimer's.
As we reported last year, she took a job as a dishwasher at his facility so there wouldn't be a 115th day without him.
"My biggest fear is that he wasn't going to remember me.
He wouldn't know me, but the first thing he said when he saw me was, 'Mary,'" she remembered.
Now, like many families, she enjoys the comfort of an in-person hug – no more virtual visits. She's also fully vaccinated which means more traveling is on her to-do list.
"It is an amazing strength when you do have the vaccine. I have had it for a couple months now and just being around Steve and other family members, there is such a feeling of calm, peace, of relief," Daniel told First Coast News.
With Friday's announcement from the CDC suggesting people like Daniel are low-risk for traveling, travel agents are booking more vacations than taking calls for cancellations.
"Some are going multi-generational travel. So, the grandparents are tagging along so they can make those memories with their grandkids and kids," said Tanya Taylor.
She says Florida is a desired destination.
"It has just really increased my sales with people wanting to go to Disneyworld, Universal, visit the beaches," Taylor said.
For Daniel, planning trips to see loves ones is already in the works. Her grandkids in Tennessee will see her in June and her stepson in California will see his father for the first time in a year later this month.
"He may not know their name, but he certainly feels them. He feels the comfort they give him," Daniel said.