COVID-19…enough said. This week has been crazy in so many ways…all sports cancelled at every level, the tourism industry basically shutting down (cruises cancelled, Disney and Universal parks closed, conferences cancelled), restaurants closing down, international flights limited, and the list goes on.
No one ever thought we would get to this point. I have been reading a lot online about how everyone is dealing with it. What is happening in Italy sounds like a war zone with triage to determine who gets treatment and who doesn’t. People are dying without anyone by their bedside because families are not allowed in. It is heartbreaking reading these stories. We need to do everything we can to avoid getting to that point. This is why I support everything slowing down and flattening the curve.
The the virus can spread easily and the only way to flatten the curve is to limit spread. We need to ensure we don’t overwhelm our healthcare system and avoid getting to the point certain places in Italy are currently facing. We need to test (yes I know…that is a crazy concept) to understand what the spread looks like. I know several people who have tried to get tests and they just aren’t available. From the sounds of it, these people had a very good chance of having COVID-19. So the numbers we are seeing are very inaccurate given testing just isn’t available for everyone. You may not have “positive” cases around you, but I bet they really are there and they just didn’t have the opportunity to test. I never thought I would worry about something like this since I have usually been a healthy, strong female, but this is different and it is everyone’s job to limit the spread.
I am currently sitting at my 8th Taxol treatment writing this. I am so happy my blood counts are still good and that I am as healthy as you can be going through chemo. There are so many changes for treatments because of COVID-19. The office has a table out front checking your temperature and asking about fever, shortness of breath, and coughing. No guests are allowed into the office or back into treatment. The nurses are all wearing masks. I know people are getting turned away if they have symptoms and that scares me. I have 4 treatments left and I need to stay healthy to finish these. My goal is to keep myself healthy for obvious reason but I also sit in a room with immuno-comprised people each week. A majority of them are over 60 years old and already in the high risk group just for age. It is my responsibility to be smart and ensure I have zero chance of passing anything along to them.
So what does life look like for me for the foreseeable future? I will be hanging out a lot at home (as I hope most are doing). My company has implemented work from home policies. We have set up daily check-ins via Zoom to keep in touch with others and provide interactions. I will enjoy my runs around McIntosh Lake to keep sanity for myself and Callie. I will avoid human interactions in person. I will likely have to keep cancelling people’s vacations, which is depressing. I will be cancelling my own trip to see friends in Oregon that was planned for late April. I have been cancelling all of the spring break trips that I have helped others plan.
On a positive note, my blood work is looking good. I am defeating this disease little by little. The side effects have not ramped up too much. I have been warned about notorious week 8 of Taxol treatments since day one. Each week the treatments are compounding meaning I should feel a little worse each week. This is the week most doctors say the side effects really ramp up as my body is just getting tired of the poison. I am staying optimistic that I can stay strong and push through no matter what. I have the flexibility of taking naps if I need them. I am spending plenty of time resting. I have only 4 more treatments left! I can make it through this no matter what else is going on throughout the world. I have to stay healthy to allow my treatments to continue. I have no idea what happens if there is an interruption in them so I will stay healthy to finish them.
My ask for everyone….stay home! I know most reading this are healthy and COVID won’t impact you much. Your side effects will be limited and yes, you will recover without any problem. It isn’t your health that I am worried about. It is the health of the people around you. It is our responsibility to stay home to limit the spread and keep those vulnerable around us healthy. You don’t want to be the reason that someone you know can’t finish their treatments.
It is time for the country to support each other to get through this difficult time. Everyone will be impacted. Small businesses will get hit hard. The tourism and sports industries will be crippled. Everyone is in this together so we need to support each other. So here are things I can think of that I will be doing:
- Buy gift cards from local businesses to help them keep money coming in.
- Order delivery or take out from local restaurants. A lot of them are staying open to provide food as long as you don’t plan on staying to eat.
- Stay home! I get stir crazy and I know this will be hard for me, but I will do what is best for everyone.
- Go outside if you want to leave home. Social distancing is possible outside and exercise is always a good thing.
- Call, text, or video chat with friends and family. You may live alone but you are never alone. My favorite bracelet says “No one fights alone” and this is true for everyone right now. Yes, the bracelet is likely referring to my cancer fight, but I will wear it proudly thinking about everyone now.
- Ignore the stock market. It will go up and down often for the next few weeks or months. I have confidence the world and US will recover once we get this under control. You just have to wait for it to get back in shape.
- Be patient with everyone! Everyone is stressed right now. Everything in life is changing and change is always stressful. Smile at each other. Don’t get angry over small things. Give people time to respond and realize they are dealing with their own problems. Don’t hoard the toilet paper and soap. We will get through this as a collective community.
- Slow down and focus on the things you need to. This is the world’s opportunity to slow down and possibly focus on the important things they have been overlooking. Take the time to embrace these things.
- Think ahead to when this is under control. It will make it there eventually. Start planning those vacations (I can help with that). Start figuring out how to support your community. Don’t fear that this won’t go away…we just have to get through the worst to make it to the other side.
We will get through this. Be kind to each other. Stay home when possible to limit the spread. Be aware of those that are comprised or high risk. They need your help to limit the spread and flatten the curve.
Random plug for my small business (which is also taking a hit thanks to COVID-19)…if you are planning a vacation, let me know. I specialize in Disney, Universal, and cruises, but can help with pretty much anything. My goal is to make trip planning fun for you. I can do as much or as little as you would like and it costs absolutely nothing to you. You maintain complete control over your vacation, other than you have to make payments through me. I sit on hold with Disney at least 1-2 times a week to fix things. The best part, I sit on hold, not you! This has saved my clients significant time with COVID-19 impacting their vacations (nothing like Disneyland hold music for over 2 hours). You would be supporting me and also supporting the fight against cancer since I will donate 10% of all commissions this year to American Cancer Society. My email is sam@thevacationeer.com. You can also check out my Facebook Page “The Vacationeer- Sam Mader” (https://www.facebook.com/samthevacationeer/) or find me on instagram @samthevacationeer.
Finally, the biggest accomplishment of the week is the work CT did on my basement. We practiced social distancing, which means that he pretty much did everything and Em and I enjoyed social distancing on the couch upstairs. I am so excited to see the progress on the bathroom.
