BOCA RATON, Fla. — It's been a long and challenging year for Jaclyn Merens.
"It's been frightening. It's been heart-wrenching. It's been disruptive," she said.
The same can probably be said for her son, Daniel.
"Daniel is a 36-year-old man-child with autism," Merens explained. "He lives in a group home in Boca Raton."
Daniel usually finds comfort in music, but his mother said it all stopped March 13, 2020.
To protect against COVID-19, a statewide emergency order last March prohibited Merens and other families from visiting loved ones in more than 2,000 group homes across the state.
Merens shared her emotion and concerns with Contact 5 last August.
"Lately, it's been very difficult to get him to sing with me, and I think he's depressed," she said at the time.
At the time, she had seen her son just twice, at doctor's visits.
"It is heartbreaking because he only wants to know whether he's coming home with me or not, and I have to say no," she told Contact 5 last year.
About a month later, a sliver of normalcy returned as Daniel reunited with his parents. WPTV was there for the emotional reunion months in the making.
The state relaxed restrictions on group homes last September to allow visitations.
Although grateful for the opportunity to spend time with her son, Merens said restrictions make her visits with Daniel more challenging and confusing.
"Because he's not really conversational, sitting and trying to do something with him or get him to talk to us is difficult," she said.
Merens said Daniel is now vaccinated and, as of March 1, can go home for a short visit. A sense of normalcy returning, along with the notes, is music to this mother's ears.
"It's just been heartbreaking," Merens said. "There's no other way to put it for me. I've really, really missed his presence in my life."