Brendan Bjorn, Declan and I are on lock down in our home. The last thing I ever imagined I’d be writing about is a pandemic, but here I sit, isolated in an attempt to avoid contracting this deadly virus which would certainly kill my first born son and which would leave my own fate in question with the underlying health condition of an auto-immune disease.
Here the entire world is: trying to live life in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic.
My youngest son Declan (11) is terrified right now. I want to tell you all why. The below photo is from 2013. Brendan Bjorn was in hospital with severe bilateral pneumonia. He nearly died. The doctors even pulled me aside at one point to say they didn’t know what else to do. All 3 of us had it. Declan and I stayed in Brendan Bjorn’s hospital room by his side.
I signed a DNR – Do Not Resuscitate order – for Brendan Bjorn.
Thankfully, a couple days later, they discovered it was mycoplasma pneumoniae bacteria so changed the regimen of antibiotics. 7 years later, here we are now facing COVID19, which causes a severe pneumonia that would undoubtedly kill my precious son. I’ll emphasis here that mycoplasma pneumonia is often referred to as “walking pneumonia” because it is so often mild enough that the infected person can still be active. COVID19 is not so kind.
Declan understands this risk like most other kids his age wouldn’t.
He’s lived it.
He’s seen it.
He has grown up with the knowledge that another virus, cytomegalovirus, is what devastated his big brother’s brain in utero…and he knows that one of the many consequences from that congenital infection will also one day be what takes his brother from him.
So yes, Declan is terrified right now. I am terrified.
I’m telling you all of this to beg those of you not taking this virus seriously, to please, PLEASE, do!
Don’t hesitate to ring your GP if you feel unwell.
Practice social distancing measures.
Stay home!
Wash hands thoroughly and often.
Don’t touch your face.
Cover your cough and sneeze.
Stay home!
You may be young and healthy, but you are not immune. No one is immune. And you can unknowingly carry the virus to other people. So please, remember those people – your loved ones – who this new virus would certainly kill. Please.
May all of you reading this be well.
2013