Elisa Dossena, 23, a student, poses for a photo on a street in Crema, Italy, December 15, 2020. While Dossena was studying in Milan, COVID-19 began ravaging her family and relatives in the town of Crema about 50 km (30 miles) away in Italy's first "red zone" in the northern Lombardy region. She returned home to help. Both her 59-year-old aunt and her 90-year-old grandmother succumbed to other illnesses and died after the virus weakened them. Her father had severe breathing difficulties, although it was never determined if COVID-19 was the cause. "I had to take care of the house, I had to manage everything for everyone because my mother was busy looking after my father, busy with my grandma, helping my cousin when her parents were ill. So I felt a lot of pressure, a lot of responsibility," she said. "It was a very negative period for me. But it also made me grow a lot," said Dossena. After a three-month lockdown in June, restrictions were lifted and Dossena could see her friends again. "People don't trust shaking hands, hugging or meeting new people," she said. "When I entered a closed space. I could feel the palpitations, the anxiety ... surely something changed." She is now studying remotely for a masters degree in management and hoping for just a bit of normality in 2021. "I hope people can leave their homes freely. I hope it will be possible to go for a coffee with friends at the bar. I hope it will be possible to return to school desks, places of work and university," she said. "I don't ask a lot but I hope for this." REUTERS/Flavio Lo Scalzo SEARCH "GEN-Z COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES