When It's Someone You Love - Tales of the Pandemic (1)

~ On Friday, March 13th my mom went to the hospital with a fever, a cough, and trouble breathing. She was taken by ambulance with paramedics that arrived in protective gear because they were concerned she might have COVID-19.  After a few hours in the local ER, she was intubated and transferred to a larger hospital where she could be cared for.

I want to talk about my mom for a moment....

Last weekend, she went to the ICU with a fever, cough, and shortness of breath. We feared the worst - huddled together in my tiny studio apartment - and waited for an update. It was goods news. She tested negative for the coronavirus, but her oxygen levels were still really low and they had decided to keep her sedated and intubated until the nasty strain of flu she'd caught finally subsided.

I only got to see her in the hospital for a brief moment, after I'd gone through a sanitation process and donned a medical mask, and it was heartbreaking. But the worst part is knowing that she might be there for a while yet. My mom is the one person I go to when things are difficult to deal with - she's the one I vent to, the one I laugh with, the one that helps ground me when my anxiety threatens to inflate my head and float it into the ether.

Pandemics are scary, but....

Admittedly, I wasn't really taking this COVID-19 thing very seriously. I was concerned about my mom and brother, sure, and work was hyping it up as we scrambled to put together an informational seminar for our association members, but I wasn't worried for myself.

I figured, if I got sick I'd stay in my apartment and wait it out. I figured, if it hits my hometown, my brother would be smart enough to use his PTO and mom - who is mostly immobilized due to health conditions and a botched knee replacement - wouldn't be at risk.

COVID-19 needs to be treated with more seriousness and cautiousness than I was giving it. It took a very sudden medical scare to make me see that.

Even if you aren't at risk....

Someone you know and love probably is. So take all those precautions the CDC and local governments are advising. Stay home if you don't feel well. Cancel brunch with your friends. Work remotely if you're able and disinfect the ever living heck out of anything you regularly come in contact with. 

Here's my second call-to-action: If you have any spare funds or you have a large social media platform, I would really appreciate any assistance for my mom's GoFundMe - the medical bills are going to start rolling in and I want to make sure my brother is also able to live alone for a while without worrying about rent and utilities. Anything helps, truly.

For more information, please click here!