Mario Cervi is the quintessential hard-working Italian immigrant who carved out a life for himself in the Chicago area. He was born in Alvito, a small town outside of Rome. When he was just 5 years old, he lost his father, who went missing in action during World War II. He began working as a barber at age 15, making him the youngest barber in the region. Cervi immigrated to America with his mother in 1955, landing on a Saturday and beginning work at a barbershop in the Galewood neighborhood on the following Monday. Cervi’s maternal family sponsored them, and …

To many Americans, COVID-19 is an abstract ailment with unknown victims. Some even feel that it has brought our economy to a screeching halt for purely political reasons. They’ll argue it’s little more than the common flu, which claims tens of thousands of lives annually without the same fanfare. As a COVID-19 survivor, I’d like to offer a firsthand account along with some advice on how we can safely live with this virus and respect each other while awaiting a vaccine. COVID-19 is so insidious. It can catch you unawares, and once it gets hold of you, it can hang …