Upland, CA
Four years ago, this month the world as we knew it changed forever. March 11, 2020, was the official date that COVID or the coronavirus was declared and started what became the global pandemic. I remember so clearly in February 2020 my daughter was so sick and had been so for days if not weeks and I had to take her to the emergency hospital. There were so many people in the waiting room and when my daughter was finally seen, they really did not know what was wrong with her and they thought she had a bad case of the flu, and she should get a flu shot. They even recommended that I get a flu shot since we were living together at the time. As a mother, I knew there was more to her illness than just a bad case of the flu, but it was unlike anything I had ever seen. To this day, I believe she was one of the early victims of COVID.
March 2020 was also a time when everyday there was something new that we were faced with. The nonprofit that we started back in 1999 always holds our annual Plus Awards honoring sheroes and heroes in our community during the month of March in honor of Women’s History Month. That year everything came to a halt, and we postponed our annual awards event for four years. Just this past week we were able to finally celebrate once again with six deserving individuals. Although we waited four years before we came back full force with our event, even now people are still a bit hesitant of close interaction with others in a closed environment because although COVID has been officially over, there are now so many different strains and versions that we may be living with the aftermath and repercussions of this global pandemic for years to come.
As we all know and remember, the pandemic eventually shut down schools, work environments, social activities, and even families being able to come together. Health workers and hospitals were overrun with sick people who were confused and hurting and eventually many of them died. According to some statistics the confirmed record shows that more than seven million people worldwide died from COVID. However, some believe that number is closer to 30 million. Whatever the official number may be, the sad case is most of us either had someone in our family directly affected by COVID or know someone who was. During the pandemic, I had the opportunity to work closely with the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr., Community Healthcare (MLKCH), and I applaud them for their commitment to the community and for being a beacon of light during those dark days, as well as all the healthcare workers across the globe. It was not an easy season.
Although the pandemic is officially over, we still must be mindful and careful of our actions and our health. From this dark period, we learned a few things that we can continue to practice moving forward. We can continue to wash down and keep our environments as clean as possible, especially washing our hands often and especially after being out and about with others. Stay on top of your health and get checked whenever you feel something is not right. If you want to wear a mask still in public do so and do not let anyone, make you feel intimidated. For me one of the lessons I learned is to cherish every day because tomorrow is not promised. Practice forgiveness and show love, grace, and kindness towards your loved ones and others. The year that changed all of our lives can also mark a time when we worked on becoming our best selves with the time we all have remaining.
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Healing without Hate: It’s a choice. It’s a lifestyle. Pass it on.
