COVID! I remember being horrified as I watched the news showing a mass of people in China, all wearing masks as well as the incident where a maskless woman was arrested and locked in her home for not complying to their rules. All of that seemed so far away. It didn’t affect my life because it was happening in China, far away from Indiana.
Then it infiltrated the United States! I watched the news in horror as the news media showed patients lying in hospitals intubated with machines breathing for them. So many people died their bagged bodies had to be placed in refrigerated trucks. Still, that was hundreds of miles away in the big cities like New York.
Suddenly, it was here in the Midwest and in Indiana. People I knew got COVID-19 and ended up in the hospital on ventilators. Requests for prayers went out as families couldn’t even be present with loved ones. Nursing home residents who crave visits had to exist in their rooms isolated from their loved ones while fearing what they saw on the news.
I willingly isolated myself. I ordered groceries either to be picked up or delivered. I canceled appointments and social gatherings. I made hundreds of masks for friends and family hung on doorknobs or delivered by mail. Stores closed and businesses shut down. It felt like our world had come to a standstill. I didn’t go to church; I learned to attend virtually. I availed myself of library books picked up at the curb. I made chicken noodle soup and delivered it to their porch when friends “got it.” My hair, which I have worn short for 40-plus years, grew long.
I honked and waved at my kids from a distance. Sometimes a masked man or woman (aka, my son or daughter) showed up with food and Diet Coke and Hershey bars. My appreciation was great, and we maintained our distance. It was so good to see them.
I thought that soon this epidemic would pass! The news media likened COVID-19 to the Spanish flu. I think how those living then had little to no idea what was going on globally as what they knew would have come by word of mouth or newspapers. They wouldn’t have been exposed to a continual barrage of pictures on TV showing the scale of the epidemic or word – truth and lies – spreading via social media.
Fortunately, brilliant minds, working around the clock, perfected not only a cocktail of medications to combat this deadly viral disease but also perfected an inoculation to help us escape the worst of COVID-19.
I faithfully distanced myself. I avoided going into crowds. I got the vaccine including the three boosters. I wore a mask when around people. As much as I was looking forward to my birthday celebration, I dreaded being on an airplane where I figured COVID-19 could be more easily spread. We wore masks. I did everything right until I didn’t.
My daughter and I flew to Florida to attend the memorial services for my brother-in-law. We wore masks. Then came the trip home at 4:30 in the morning. It was crazy catching that early flight out of Orlando and getting through the maze of people to check in. We forgot to put on masks.
I have COVID! How could I let this happen? A dry cough presented itself when I saw my doctor for a pre-scheduled appointment two days after returning home. A test determined that I indeed had COVID-19. Isolation and PAXLOVID for five days did the trick. I was tired and hated the metallic taste which my cousin likens to sucking on a penny. I wasn’t hungry and the awful metallic taste didn’t encourage eating. I have a new appreciation for Life Savers, though. Friends encouraged me to be patient and rest. I could finally get back to living a normal un-isolated life.
I sterilized everything. I threw away my toothbrush. I didn’t want to reinfect myself.
Five days later I had a drippy nose. I have allergies, so no big deal. I decided to take a COVID-19 test just in case as I had a physical therapy appointment. Positive! Not again! A call to the doctor sent me back to the pharmacy for another round of the medical cocktail PAXLOVID. The drippy nose quickly gave way to a dry cough and chills and that disgusting metallic taste. Two days in, I feel just fine, but another test assures me I am not. As I write this, I am looking forward to being well. I have Christmas cookies to bake, a house to clean, and sewing to do. My sister is coming for Christmas. (My grandson who lives with me during the week is still symptom free; I’m not sure about the dog, though. My daughter just tested positive today after suffering with a sore throat all day.)
Here’s the Thing: COVID-19 is here to stay. I am sure we will be getting annual vaccinations for it much as we do the flu. My advice: Take care of yourself. Mask up! Avoid crowds if you can. Above all, realize you are vulnerable.
———
Editor’s Note: This is one of a series of articles written by a group of retired and current teachers — Ken Ballinger, Billy Kreigh, Marianne Darr-Norman, and Anna Spalding. Their intent is to spur discussions at the dinner table and elsewhere.
