Aug. 28, 2021

When COVID Hits Home

It finally came.  The moment I have been dreading is finally here.  COVID has made it to my home.  For the past year and a half, I have been waiting for this moment.  Everyone who knows me understands where I stand in the battle against this deadly virus.  As a nurse in an over-inundated inner-city ER, I have seen my fair share of COVID.  I have attempted to be as transparent as possible about this journey with everyone I know.  I have been raw.  I have been real.  I have been realistic.  I have been passionate about science and vaccinations.  My husband and I even participated in the Pfizer trial to help expedite making the vaccine available to those around us.  As soon as possible, we even encouraged our teenager to get her vaccine.  She, too, made the choice to follow science.  I have read study after study regarding this pandemic.  I have done what most healthcare professionals have done.  Most of us believe that knowledge is power and therefore I continue to stay abreast with this ever-changing virus and the steps we are and should be taking to stop the spread.  BUT GUESS WHAT…It wasn’t enough.  

 

In an effort to continue with my transparency, I feel that I need to share the current situation with which we are dealing.  Two days ago, my daughter was feeling a little under the weather.  She acted responsibly and went for her COVID PCR which was positive.  She was immediately sent home from college to quarantine and that is exactly where I want her to be, aside from the fact that now I have COVID in my home where there is one unprotected human…my unvaccinated son who has had autoimmune issues and has zero business contracting the virus.  

 

Some of you will take this as an opportunity to question why we get vaccines if we can still contract the virus.  I understand that.  I also understand that all vaccines add an extra layer of protection and are not a cure.  I also know that the chances of my daughter having a serious case of this illness are slim because she has been vaccinated.  This vaccine has been an answered prayer for us.    

 

So many people are flooding into hospitals through the ER right now who are infected with COVID.  It breaks my heart.  They are so sick.  I know that by now most people have decided where they stand regarding the vaccine.  Most of you have made it abundantly clear to me whether you feel this virus to be serious or not. Many of you have discredited me and my fellow medical professionals by disregarding our first-hand knowledge when it comes to the pandemic.  I know that everyone isn’t in favor of getting the vaccine.  That is fine, too.  Just know that you are rolling the dice with your life.  I truly hope you win.  Many who are taking that chance are not as lucky.  How do I know this?  I know this not because I am reading Facebook articles or even scientific journals to gain my knowledge.  I know this because I am seeing it with my own eyes.  I am fighting it with my own blood, sweat, and tears.  I know this because I have seen patient after patient and friend after friend die from COVID. And I know this because out of all of the people that I have seen who have died or have had serious complications from this virus have only one thing in common: They were not vaccinated.  So, for those of you who have drawn a line in the sand against the vaccine, I would challenge each of you to reexamine your reasons for drawing that line in the sand.  It just might be that we have learned enough in the past 2 years to actually warrant revisiting the idea…and who knows?  The life you save might actually be your own.