You can get another job, another car, even another house. The beach will be there in a year and so will the parties. You can get all those things back. You can’t get your sister back, or your wife, parent, child or best friend. There is no return from COVID for too many.
So stay the F home.
The angel of death brushed my family this week. My wife’s twin sister, in the ICU in NYC, nothing was helping her breathe. They were going to vent her. 15% of people who are vented make it off. They asked if we wanted to talk to the chaplain.
If you have never been there, you don’t know. If you have you do. But you never want to feel that. To have a loved one, alone. You can’t talk to them, you can’t see them, they are fighting for their life and losing, alone.
And if they pass, they will pass and be buried alone, no funeral no grieving or celebrations from friends loved ones near and far. They are buried the way they died, alone.
Alone.
Stay the F home.
COVID is brilliant and ruthless. If a virus’ goal is to spread, this one has a PhD. Many people show no symptoms or very mild ones. So, you can spread it widely without even knowing you have it. Many people don’t even really have a temperature, like my sister in law, so the standard thermal detection fails. And it also can cause lethargy and confusion, which she also experienced, delaying the host body’s response.
This gave the virus within her more time to wreak havoc. And when she finally did get to the hospital, she still didn’t really have the classic COVID symptoms. The way it attacked her system was to exploit an existing health vulnerability that she may not have even known she had. And it was that condition that was the most serious issue, initially.
Then it moved further into the lungs.
You never want to have this happen to someone you care about.
So stay the F home.
The health care workers in NYC are amazing. They are bearing the costs more than anyone. Everywhere in the U.S., the folks in the PPEs are the heroes we should be saluting with parades. They have been on 110% and been on the front lines battling a deceptive and punishing enemy. The costs are mounting on the field, and psychologically for the workers themselves. I am sure many will emerge from this war with PTSD as other warriors do. God bless the doctor who recently took her own life. You can only see so much death.
So stay the F home.
I was trying to think how I could thank all those PPE warriors and healers. And a friend who lost a nurse friend said I could use my voice.
So please, for the sake of grandma, the nurses and essential workers, and everyone else out there who your actions could hurt.
Stay the fuck home.