I wanted to share the below article from National Public Radio (NPR) with you because it hits home for me personally in more ways than one. While I understand the need to save lives in the immediate future and hope every day we can minimize the impact of this pandemic, I also worry there will be more sicknesses and deaths that will be indirectly caused by the chaos that the COVID-19 response causes. And I don’t believe it’s only Cancer patients like me who will be impacted. Unemployment, Poverty, and Homelessness will continue to rise…all of which are contributing factors to a higher risk of serious illness. And if people aren’t going to the doctor for whatever reason (affordability or lack of insurance, to stay “safe” from the virus, or because medical professionals & resources are being tapped to fight the immediate pandemic), many other conditions cannot be treated and/or may not be discovered in time:
- Cancers, Tumors, etc.
- Heart conditions
- Stroke risks
- Organ recipients/donors
- Any condition that requires medications or medical supplies
- Outpatient Surgeries (ones considered “urgent” like the one I would be having on my back next week if not for the pandemic)
- Mental health issues
- and many, many more!
Even for non-corona virus emergency cases there may not be rooms, medical supplies, medications, or medical professionals available for critical care that is not related to the pandemic. Those deaths may not be counted in the death toll, but these indirect deaths may continue to rise for weeks, months or even years to come.
All of this causes me anxiety and even mild depression (I was stuck in my recliner many weeks before self-distancing was a thing). But the one thing I can say is that I understand what many of you might be going through. You are not alone. And we will get through this and be a stronger community because of it. Life will change forever. There will be a new normal. But life might change in positive ways that we can’t possibly imagine, yet. It’s unfortunate that we find ourselves unable to control our own lives, but we have to remember to count our blessings and focus on anything and everything positive in our lives.
For me, one good thing coming out of all this is that I’m reconnecting with my family. Let the family dinners commence! Last night was Italian night, and we had linguini with marina, meatballs, and grilled chicken. And to make it fun, we put on Pandora’s “Italian Cooking Music Radio” station so we could pretend we were at Tony’s in New York City. I’m looking forward to Family Game night tonight with TGI Friday’s curbside takeout. We will either attempt to agree on a board game (not likely), or maybe we will play uDraw Pictionary on the Wii. There’s also been talk of a casino night in the near future. If your kids are grown-ups or if you are home alone, don’t be afraid to call someone. Chat anytime of the day that’s convenient for you both or even schedule “dinner” together by FaceTiming during mealtime. This can also be a great way for grandparents to stay in touch with little ones…since they are more apt to sit and talk while they are busy eating (tip provided by my cousin, Melissa).
In addition to “scheduling” family fun time, I’ve noticed my teens are arriving early for dinner to chat while we’re cooking, and they aren’t running away immediately after woofing down (and probably not even tasting) the food. We are in this together as a family unit, and it feels really good. It didn’t happen overnight, though. I think we argued with my 14 year old son to understand why when the guidance was “groups under 10 people” that he couldn’t go and hang out with friends. And no matter how many times you say, “YOUR MOM IS HIGH RISK!” it just doesn’t sink in to the invincible teen. We had to be consistent, and we had to say no (more than once) even though it didn’t always feel good.
I know it’s tough to be on this roller coaster ride. And please keep in mind that you can’t tell someone is high risk by looking at them, and recent studies report much higher numbers of people who show no symptoms but are still testing positive for corona virus. So please stay home if you can, and support all those who can’t! There will be many highs and lows over the coming weeks and months. All we can do is live in the good moments, prop each other up (even if that’s a quick phone call, text, or social media post to a loved one to let them know you are thinking of them). And if you are able to volunteer your time or talents, there are many different initiatives available from donating funds to making masks for the people on the front lines – find something that makes you feel more in control each day, and you’ll stay healthier with hope!