A Sarnia resident and grant recipient is hoping to finish her book about the 1918 flu pandemic in Lambton County within the next six months.
Esther Tolooei received $2,250 through the Lambton Creative County Grant program in 2024.
"Right now, I have started to write it as a story, as a fictional story, based on the research that I've done," she said.
Tolooei said she has spoken with staff at Lambton County Archives and checked out books from Lambton County Library to gather information. She is still hoping to speak with local residents who may have family stories or historical documents to share about the historic influenza pandemic.
"Just anything about people who lived in this area and how they went through the flu or if their family was affected by it," she said.
Those interested in sharing stories with Tolooei can email her at 1918fluproject@gmail.com.
As an avid reader, Tolooei said she was interested in the history of medicine.
"Just before the COVID pandemic, I was reading a book about the 1918 flu and realized, we really don't know a lot about this," she said. "Then, I was thinking, I wonder what it was like here, locally, for people. So that kind of started my interest."
This is Tolooei's first time taking on a project such as this. She's been working on it in her spare time. Professionally, she's an adult educator.
Through this process, Tolooei said what struck her the most were the similarities in how people reacted to the 1918 flu pandemic and the 2020 COVID pandemic.
"People had fear and worry about it, but then other people thought it was overblown. There were some times in 1918 when schools were closed, people were asked to wear a mask, and not to spit. That was something they were told," chuckled Tolooei. "It's pretty interesting to see the comparison of this unknown disease that was passing through."
Tolooei said she isn't sure if she'll be publishing the book on her own or through a company.
