“One issue a lot of people face is in their time of solitude, they may be confronted with the fact that being by yourself is frightening. Your mind needs to become comfortable being alone. There will be no distraction. Your inner-monologue will inevitably be louder and more present than it ever has before.”
‘I watched friends celebrate, while I was robbed of living life. The Internet is a blessing and a curse.’: Woman with Cystic Fibrosis gives tips on how to survive quarantine, ‘The limits are endless’
‘It’s time to check on your pregnant friends, too – because their babies will be born, even if the rest of the world is shutting down.’: Birth doula urges to expecting moms ‘you are NOT alone, don’t let fear win’
“Preventing a birthing person from having their support team with them – not even a spouse, but ALSO not their doula, trained and contracted to provide them with emotional and physical comfort – is traumatic and brutal, plain and simple.”
‘I started sneaking into my local church after the ‘meet and greet’ portion. I’m the ‘high risk’ category you’ve been hearing about recently.’: Woman with Cystic Fibrosis shares tips ‘to help you get through’ the quarantine
“Soon after, I had to watch the online services every week. I’ve been practicing ‘social distancing’ since childhood. You can do it. It is in our control how we deal with it.”
‘Kinsley always stood up for me.’ Ava came from the playground, upset another little girl called her stupid. ‘Where’s Kinsley when we need her?’: After loss of child, mom urges others ‘Enjoy the moment’
“The instant someone or something reminded me of her, I was ready to lose my sh*t. At that moment, I took a breath. I leaned down to let her look through the necklace and whispered, ‘See, she is here too.’ Let’s face it, everything reminds me of her, and I don’t want to change that.”
‘I get to the door and there is my eldest son, arms crossed, blocking entry. ‘Mask, Mom!’ I am high risk, and one blessed mama.’: High-risk woman battling myasthenia gravis urges ‘this is not just a little sickness bug’
“Ricky taps my hand if I try to touch something. THEN, this child pulls out the sanitizer and sprays my hands with it. He waits until I rub it in correctly and looks at me through the corner of his eye to make sure I don’t touch anything again. Ricky knows I am one of the ones who would most certainly die. He has been in the hospital with me more times than I can count.”
Immunocompromised Kids Deserve A Fighting Chance, So Please Stay Home
“Pretend this is your child just for one second. Now imagine knowing that the fate of your child is largely in everyone else’s hands.”
‘We’re going to forget much about these days. This life is beautiful, indeed. Even in the hardest of times.’: Mom says ‘we do not remember days, we remember moments’
“Days come and go. But we can do so much more with the moments. The next minute is a chance to make a change.”
‘An older gentleman stopped us and asked, ‘Do you know how to make a cheese sandwich?’ He was veteran, and he didn’t know how to cook.’: Woman urges ‘don’t forget the Marks in the world who need you to say hello’
“I offered him the one roll of toilet paper I had in my car. At some point, it dawned on me. He had enough toilet paper, but on this day, he stopped us because he didn’t have enough love.”
‘I had to remind my son whose prom has been postponed, ‘It could always be worse.’ School was their haven. It was their happy place.’: Mom asks others to not lose their perspective, ‘It could always be worse’
“They haven’t been placed into foster care…yet. And now the social worker that was going to come to their house is also secluded at home. I looked at my husband and said, ‘They are closing schools. What’s going to happen to all the children that don’t want to be at home?’ School was their haven. It was their happy place.”
‘These dang ghosts are out of control. They’re flying around making everyone sick!’ I don’t want to lie, but I want her to feel safe.’: Single dad finds creative ways to keep daughter calm during pandemic
“When we dawn our Ghostbusters suits, we feel we have a sense of control over the mayhem.”
‘They should have been stocking up on diapers and miniature clothing, not toilet paper and hand sanitizer.’: Woman reminds us ‘don’t forget to check on your pregnant friends, they’re hurting’
“They should have been worrying about morning sickness, which crib to buy, and what to name their precious little. These amazing women thought they would be carrying life, but instead they’re also carrying dread, anxiety, and fear. I cannot imagine a scarier time to prepare to be pregnant.”
‘My little foursome survived a Category 5 hurricane and another one is headed our way. ‘Are we going to die? Who will come and save us?’: Mom reminds us that in the middle of the storm, ‘faith, hope, and love are the most important’
“I will go to the store and buy more water and canned goods. I will break out my evacuation bag and fill it with candles, flashlights, batteries, and rope so I can tie my children to me if the storm surge comes for us. Most importantly, I will pack my faith.”
‘We’ve been locked in our apartment for weeks. We are at peace in the epicenter of the virus.’: Woman shares positives from quarantine in Wuhan, ‘Fear and worry have no seat at our table’
“We have bonded with and supported each other in ways I’ve never experienced in my 9 years of living here. This is a bond that may lessen when our world gets back to normal, but for now I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”
‘My condition has no cure. Stopping treatment due to the coronavirus is not an option.’: Pityriasis lichenoides chronica patient details impact of pandemic, ‘I cannot stay home and self-contain’
“My nurse said, ‘I still have a packed schedule.’ I cannot stay home and self-contain.”
‘My husband is out there on the front lines with nothing protecting him while the rest of the world is panicking and quarantining.’: Woman says pharmacies experiencing ‘loophole our government has missed’
“Please say a prayer for our pharmacists and their staff. I heard their answers… ‘I don’t have enough money to be in the hospital in isolation for 14 days. I don’t want a positive test that keeps me quarantined at home.’ When people are sick, the first place they stop is their local pharmacy.”
‘Today I was told, ‘They’re positive. Parker was indirectly exposed.’ I have been advised to quarantine myself and my child for 14 days.’: Mom urges us to do the right thing, ‘My parents and grandparents appreciate it, and so do yours’
“It is my problem because it could affect people I love. It is your problem because my choice could effect people you love. I didn’t want to suck it up for 14 days.”
‘There’s no easy way to say this,’ the voice said. ‘But the client before you at the salon just tested positive for coronavirus.’: Woman exposed to virus at hair salon urges for ‘social distancing’
“‘Her appointment was 11:00 a.m. Yours was 11:30 a.m.’ A heavy silence hung between us. ‘Did we sit in the same chair?’ I asked. ‘Yes,’ he said. My heart lurched. We breathed the same air. We put our hands on the same surfaces. Our heads in the same shampoo bowl. I hung up and stared at the can in my shaking right hand. I tiptoed into my husband’s office and scribbled a note on a scrap of paper: ‘We need to talk.'”
‘The old man asked the cashier, ‘Do you have any toilet paper? Please, my wife is sick.’ He was exhausted and on the brink of tears.’: Man shares act of kindness for elderly man, ‘Now, more than ever, we need to look out for one another’
“I was at CVS picking up a prescription. I didn’t realize the gravity of the situation just yet. He replied, ‘No, I’m sorry. We won’t have any until next week.’ He was on the brink of tears. It took him so long to get from the counter to his car, I could just imagine the day he’d been having. ‘If you’d like, I’d be more than happy to help.’ His wife was resting in the car with an oxygen tank. My heart broke.”
‘She constantly pissed us off. Lord, did she stir up drama. Now, I’m pissed there will always be an empty seat. The family dynamic has been rocked.’: Mom continues to make memories after daughter’s passing, ‘We are going to find something to smile about’
“A couple of weeks ago, we were a family of seven. The girls were always fighting, and the common factor was always her. The family dynamic has certainly been rocked and honestly, I am not sure I will ever be okay with this void.”
‘I didn’t expect to spend my daughter’s spring break roaming the bare aisles of a grocery store. I also didn’t expect it to unite us.’ Mom says ‘with perseverance, perspective, and hope—the best is yet to be’
“I didn’t expect the storms to come, literally and figuratively. The streets are flooding with water, but also fear and panic. I didn’t expect to see younger generations caring for the elderly. Stepping outside of ego to defend the defenseless.”
‘A man in his 60s got behind me in line as I frantically loaded the conveyor belt. ‘Looks like you’re going to need another cart,’ he said and nodded to his own.’: Woman shares touching act of kindnes
“Walmart started closing its aisles. I was overwhelmed and my baby barely fit in my overflowing cart. I was shoving bagged items on the floor and back of the cart when an older man approached me. ‘I’m going to push your cart to your car. Don’t say no.’ It was pouring rain. I nearly cried right there.”
‘I chose to burn a bridge. I cancelled last minute, knowing I will have to pay back the money I’d been given for travel expenses.’: Mom says ‘we can all make choices to protect each other without panic’
“My decision was not based out of fear. I am not afraid for myself. I’m a healthy 38 year old. My dad and my son are not.”
‘I remember saying, ‘People are being so out of control, this will be over next week.’ Now, I live in the epicenter.’: Mom urges ‘stay home’ during panic, ‘It could mean your grandpa living to see your kid’s next birthday’
“I posted all the funny memes. We went on saying it ‘wouldn’t happen to us here.’ My husband and I rolled our eyes and made jokes. As the days unfolded, it kept getting a little closer to home.”
‘I was sick, and in survival mode. Holland was screaming, ‘DO IT AGAIN DO IT AGAIN!’ Then, I heard thumpthumpTHUD KURPLUNK!!’: Mom says to remember ‘we have to count to ten’
“I came around the hallway just in time to see my 6-year-old son sledding down the stairs with a maniacal grin, in a freaking laundry basket. It wasn’t 9 a.m. and I already burst into tears.”
‘My child started hiding canned foods in the garage. ‘I wanted to make sure we had enough, mom.’ I realized then that they were panicking, because I was.’: Mom urges for a calm in the storm, ‘Take a breath, your kids are watching’
“I told my kids to make sure they picked up a pack of TP every time they went into a store. Let’s be real, your kids know what’s going on. We are teaching them it’s okay to mow somebody down when they’re scared of something.”