COVID-19: Reality Slap In The Face

COVID-19, Coronavirus, just the flu call it what you want people, but please know it is something to really worry about. I know that everyone is getting so burnt out dealing with this dangerous pandemic.

It is scary whether you are one of the ones who want to admit it or not. This post is not meant to be political, or in any way disrespect the thoughts and beliefs of those who read it.

What I want to do is add a behind-the-scenes look into what our health care workers are really dealing with. First off let me start by saying this, no I am not a healthcare worker, or a Democrat, or a Republican. What I am is a mom of a daughter who works at the hospital first hand dealing with COVID-19 patients.

She puts her own safety and that of her family's on the line every day. Asking yourself, well then what do you know about it then? Here is what I know. My daughter is so completely physically, emotionally, and mentally stressed out that I fear for your health.

You see I am also the grandma of her young daughter. I volunteer to watch my granddaughter because I want to and because it helps them out. So trust me when I tell you I get to see first-hand just how COVID-19 is affecting my essential worker daughter.

I get to hear the horror stories of patients that have sadly passed away from this deadly virus. Yes, it does have a high survival rate for most people, but what if you or someone you love is not one of the lucky survivors?

My daughter tells me COVID-19 decides who lives and who dies. She has seen younger people (60-and below) who did not suffer from existing conditions die.

She has looked into the eyes of these patients and has described the sheer fear she sees in their eyes as they realize they are not going to bounce back from this. She has comforted family members who couldn't bring themselves to heed the warnings of staying home when possible, wearing a mask, washing hands by socially distancing.

She describes the guilt that the surviving family members will carry with them after losing their loved ones. Guilt that they will live with along with the blame they feel at potentially being the cause of their loved one's deaths.

She has listened when family survivors have cried stating that they did not believe that the virus was "really that bad." They will spend the rest of their lives carry the weight of their loved one's deaths all because they chose to ignore the warnings and cautionary measures put into place to try and keep us all safe.

It is sad, my daughter deals with this anxiety daily. She also fears catching the virus or carrying it home to the ones she loves. We are not saying that all of the masking, washing, and distancing are going to save everyone, but seriously folks what harm is there in trying.

WE have listened to all who feel their rights are being infringed upon here in the United States. We get that, and we are not any happier than anyone else about the situation. But shouldn't we at least try to get this pandemic under control?

Again I say this is not political, it is just necessary. While the mask requests, distancing and shutdowns are not at all what any of us want to do it is deemed necessary by a whole lot of scientists and medical professionals who are trying to look out for us all.

I can say for certain I would not want to be the people who try and lead and have to try and make the best decisions to attempt to keep millions and millions of people across the United States safe.

It is much like being a parent at times, your decisions are not the most popular, and not all will agree with them, however, someone has to make them. In this case, I am just glad I am not that person because anyone with any type of job with such authority can't and will never please or save everyone in this situation.

So just maybe the next time you come in contact with the country's leaders, healthcare workers, and those who lay it on the line daily to help take a good long look into their eyes and see the torment inside during this pandemic that they are really dealing with.

Let's just do what we have to do for a while to push 2020's nightmarish year as far away as we possibly can. I know I want this whole mess to be over sooner rather than later and get my life back to where it was.