Featured Refresh
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Think about the people closest to you. Tell us about how the coronavirus has affected them, and their life.
This is myself (in the fighter pilot helmet) hugging my daughter who had been working as an ICU nurse with strictly COVID prone vented patients for 4-6 weeks straight. She was struggling with her work and her inability to socialize - see family and friends - and working 12 hour shifts 5 or 6 days per week. She was a new nurse (only been in ICU for 4 months when COVID hit). She has a passion for elderly and hospice care (she worked at the VA in step down care the year before). I was getting calls from her in the middle of the night crying and hysterical because she was profoundly sad that COVID patients were coming in talking and walking and then would be on vents within 24 hours. The idea of not having anyone with them when they were dying was tearing her apart. She was seeing patients her own age, her parents age as well as older patients. She was seeing a large portion of the patients being black and hispanic. She was literally operating in a 'shock' mode. She was so worried about myself and my husband getting sick. I was so proud of her and worried for her own health and mental health but could do nothing other than face time and send her gifts. In this photo we met at a highway rest stop in Indiana (we each drove 2 hours to meet) and our family brought her the family dog to help with her sanity and be sure that she felt less alone in her Chicago apartment (which her roommate had moved out due to my daughter working strictly with COVID patients). Our dog stayed with her for 3 weeks and I truly believe that this saved her life (mentally at least). Her mood and ability to cope changed immediately. People need people (or dogs) and they need 'a reason to keep going and getting through the days'. Thanks for letting me share.
September 7, 2020
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How do you imagine life will be different when the pandemic is over? Have your thoughts on this changed since the pandemic began?
I've been thinking a lot more lately about life post-pandemic. But, it's hard to picture, and now I don't believe it will look at all like it did before the pandemic. I do believe I'll be able to interact and hug and see my loved ones again as before. But, that's going to take a long time still. I think it won't be until the Fall, or Winter of 2021 before we are able to be sort of normal again. But, I think we're always going to be thinking about the next pandemic or epidemic. That's always going to be on the back of my mind. I think the workplace is forever changed. The pandemic showed a spotlight on a lot of problems in our country: lack of access to healthcare, racism (in healthcare, workplace, elections, police enforcement, etc.), sexism, rampant increase of misinformation, and the radicalization of moderate conservatives and the rise in domestic terrorism (i.e. Militias, Proud Boys, KKK, etc.). My hope is that we'll work to make improvements in all of these areas because I really feel like we took a lot of steps backwards during the pandemic. I feel like we lost civility and what it means to look out for and take care of each other. Maybe it was always like that, but I think it got worse during the pandemic. I think overnight we went from trying to follow the Golden Rule to looking out for ourselves and our own.
February 13, 2021