Every day since this coronavirus crisis began, I’ve called my mom to check in on her. And every day, the call has been relatively mundane.
How are you feeling? Good. How are you? Good.
All of that changed Tuesday.
She told me her thermometer wasn’t working and asked if she could borrow one from me.
She only lives a few miles away from me, but I cannot visit her.
I’m immune-compromised.
I found an extra thermometer and drove it to her house. She didn’t know when I’d stop by, but as soon as I pulled up, she was waiting at the window.
She looked sick. She was pale and wrapped in a robe. I wasn’t ready for that.
She waved at me through the glass. We blew each other a kiss.
It felt eerie.
Not being able to just open the door and see her.
I put the thermometer in her mailbox and drove away with this weird feeling in my stomach.
When would I see her again?
What if she got gravely ill and I couldn’t be with her because of my underlying health conditions?
I tried to bury those thoughts.
She’s now experiencing many of the symptoms of coronavirus. Her doctors have asked her to self-quarantine. She will be tested Friday because that was the first appointment they had available.
I want to thank everyone who is doing the right thing to make this community safe.
I interviewed Dr. Steve Lawrence, one of the top infectious disease physicians at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. He told me the “number of infections is going to start accelerating very rapidly.”
But, he added: “As a region, we started some of our social distancing measures a little earlier in the curve than other places. I’d like to get across to everybody who is listening that these measures, even though we haven’t been hit hard yet, right now, is when they do the most good.”
We all have a part to play in this crisis.
Thanks for doing your part.
