Tales from the COVID19 Era

how much

worse can it really get i don’t know

about you

but asking myself this question would

typically

make me feel better it’s as if i

reassure myself

that if this is my rock bottom then the

only way left

is up but surprise kovit 19 has showed

and left us at the edge of our seats

today my maid talia and myself

farahale will share with you our own

stories with hitting rock bottom

but spoiler alert as you can see

the two of us standing here today only

goes to show

that even rock bottom can be overcome

farah and i met and became friends at

university

we run in the same circles and have

similar interests

we usually chuck up on one another very

regularly

late last year i learned that farah

contracted kovind 19.

i was worried and surprised because i

assumed that

we young people are safe from the virus

are immune and shielded again govet 19

has proved us wrong

in september 2020 i tested positive for

covet 19.

my body was weak and i felt like i had

to drag my

own weight like a zombie i had no energy

to move eat or even to smile

it was tough in all possible ways and i

wanted to be over with it as soon as

possible

i did everything i had to do just so i

don’t spend another day confined to my

room

i did not want to stay in bed but i did

i did not want to eat healthy but i

forced myself to

dealing with my physical ailment was not

the tough part of being sick

it was my mind that was a whole

different

story it felt as if my mind

started its own war against me no matter

what i did

i could not shake off the feeling of

being stuck

and powerless i remember thinking to

myself

what’s next how could this virus outdo

itself

now i kept on blaming myself and those

who i socialized with

how could they do this to me more so

no matter how many people checked up on

i couldn’t but feel lonely as the two

weeks passed

my body started getting stronger again

this put me at ease

it showed me that whatever it is i was

doing or not doing

was actually working during that period

i learned that ali’s newborn brother was

battling for his life

i wanted to support him as well but knew

that i had to support myself first

my family and i were expecting my baby

brother

i was expecting someone to share my room

with

to disturb my morning peace interrupt my

study time

and turn my nights sleepless i never

thought that such a blessing

was to meet this world with so much

suffering

at such an early age the little boy

surprised us two weeks earlier than

expected

with several respiratory complications

i can still remember the physician

calling my father and me aside

to inform us about the baby’s severe

medical condition

i was concerned about my brother’s

health especially

after hearing the physician whispering

anxiously with the other nurses

about the limited period of time the

baby still has

six hours were all we had

to save his life we had to take action

and search for qualified hospitals

capable of handling his medical

condition

with their advanced tech and call an

ambulance to transport them

between calling hospitals searching for

vacancies

waiting for the complex precautions and

procedures by the paramedics

and being bound by the six hour limit

i had no choice but to endure the pain

and anxiety finally

we were able to make it and the

ambulance

was able to transport my brother safely

by then i was thinking to myself

what kind of a world will host my

brother

what type of childhood will my brother

experience

and the whole range of what why and how

questions

were haunting me as we were racing

against the clock

few weeks after addy and i were

virtually participating in university

project

and i recall the conversation between us

ali i made it i tested negative and i’m

glad that your brother is now in a

medically stable condition and improving

i’m so glad that you recovered and yes

my yet to be spoiled little brother

is now in stable condition do you

remember what we learned in the world

civilizations course

about the pandemic and chaos that

initial civilizations have gone through

yes i do is that similar or comparable

i guess so i think in the future this

pandemic will be added to this course

and future generations will learn about

but honey did we really have to go

through all of this

given all the advancements in science

technology and medicine

we have learned about all the preventive

proactive and all the prefixes

approaches

which seem to fail at least for now did

we really have to go through all of this

honestly i do not have an answer this

same thought continues to perplex me

we are lucky that we survived and we are

sorry

we are so sorry for every individual and

family

who did not make it we leave you with

hope that the present we will be leaving

behind

becomes a learning experience for future

generations

we hope we will emerge from this

situation

more compassionate more understanding

more mindful

more cautious and more loving and

appreciative

towards one another and our struggles

may we always turn our challenges into

opportunities of growth

community building and well-being

until then let us stay safe

and look out for one another thank you