COVID-19: Changing Our Lives | March 31: Pre-existing worries
Pandemic creates multiple concerns for families and for those trying to establish careers after college.
John Bolster
At no other point in United States history has the reality of pre-existing conditions impacted so many.
Those with loved ones who fit the description during the coronavirus pandemic struggle daily with this question: Do I take my loved one to the hospital if it's not completely urgent?
A friend of mine in the 1980s had a mother in a coma for weeks. He says the doctor said to him, "if your mom gets sick, it's because of you." You don't want to be the one who brought coronavirus home. So you don't want to go to a hospital unless it's critically important.
John Bolster has daily appointments at St. Charles Hospital in Oregon. He is the poster child for a person with pre-existing conditions. John survived heart surgery known as a cabbage, as well as a recent stroke. He goes to St. Charles for his feet - a right foot with a nasty infection and a surgically repaired left foot. He receives treatment in a hyperbaric chamber, laying on a cart with rails that he says is like a submarine loading a torpedo.
"I'm the torpedo," he says. "I'm in there for 90 minutes a day, Monday through Friday."
Why the risk for a procedure that isn't life or death? He has no other choice if he wants to walk again.
Lisa Torgenson's mom, Louise, is facing cancer for the third time. That's in addition to being in and out of the hospital for the last three weeks due to heart issues. Taking her mother to various hospitals has been challenging for Lisa.
"You don't want to go into the place. I'm always worried about touching stuff. It's a scary situation because you don't know what you're going into," she says.
Lisa washes her hands frequently and wears a mask at the grocery store. Her mother might be on her last leg, but Lisa still doesn't want to pass on any virus like COVID-19.
As the nation braces for what the president calls a peak in coronavirus deaths in a couple weeks, families all over worry about their loved ones with pre-existing conditions. My own mother and father also fall into this category. And the biggest concern for us is whether to take these loved ones to a hospital during the coronavirus pandemic, where the soldiers in this war are nurses and doctors.
Some of us might not even know of another person who has the coronavirus. But it's easy to assume where it could be.
Chapter 1 Subtitle here
With the recent extension of social distancing, it is now starting to really scare me as far as this being a long-term situation.
I am a senior in college in my last semester, and it has really put a damper on my senior year.
I am going to school to become a journalist, so it is interesting to watch history unfold in front of my own eyes. The most important thing that I have learned from this social distancing is how much I took for granted, just being able to go out into the world, go to the stores, hang out with friends and being around my family.
Now that the extension has been moved to April 30, I realize that it is time to think outside of my normal realm. I am trying to apply for jobs, finish school, look for a place after school, and keep myself afloat. Many other people in their senior years are experiencing the same thing, and those who are out of college and providing for a family have a different set of concerns.
During this time, I am learning to have a better outlook on life, be more appreciative of the little things, and realize that there is someone out there who is struggling more than I am. I am so thankful for the technology I have because it makes staying away from family and friends just a little bit easier. I have to say I have never had such a true appreciation for my "normal life" as I do now.
- Lauren Salkiewicz
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY
- Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz says he has discussed the possibility of the state closing the border with Michigan.