My Covid Journey (and The New York Times)

Hi!

It’s been a while…a long while, since I wrote here.

Call it COVID-19-related craziness? fatigue? overwhelmed-ness? (Wait, is that last one even a word? Well, now it is. It’s my word.)

Anyhow, COVID-19 has not only stopped the world, but it stopped me in my tracks for a little while, too. I’m happy to report I’ve made it through the virus and now I’m fully recovered.

But the virus did not come without its repercussions. And, like anything that hits on a deep emotional level, it massaged my creativity and led me to express myself through my writing.

• I was recently interviewed by The New York Times on what it feels like to be a survivor of COVID-19. (Hint: It doesn’t come without some shame).

Before I was hit with COVID-19, I had fears that I might be (don’t we all?), and that brought up all sorts of (familiar) feelings and emotions that I experienced as a cancer survivor many years prior.

• I wrote this article for Next Avenue about how being a cancer survivor has helped me cope with COVID fears.

Problem was…a few days after I wrote the article, I was actually diagnosed with COVID-19.  I was terrified. And the psychological coping skills I thought I’d so finely honed years before were quickly rendered useless. My anxiety took over: Would I end up struggling for my breath, with pneumonia, on a ventilator? Would I survive what so many people weren’t? Would I passs this onto my family, and lose them, too?

• Fortunately none of those terrifying scenarios came to fruition (for which I count my blessings multiple times each day). Without question, for me, emotional part proved to be much more severe than the physical, and made its way to paper, once again, here. 

Shameless plug (or what-I’ve-been-up-to):  I recently co-launched a woman’s health newsletter, thePause, along with business partner and superstar  Jennifer Owens. Although the subjects we tackle  are all serious, we aim to present them in a light-hearted, fun manner. Here’s how you can see more issues, and if you like what you see, feel free to subscribe (it’s free!) and tell your friends, too!

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Stay well. Stay safe. Stay healthy.