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
up
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
me
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
it
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