Dear all,
I hope everyone is safe and healthy. I hope finding out about Lawrence and this cluster of virus is a blessing as it may well stop this all from spreading further. I want my husband to get better and hope to have to worry about trying to explain to him all that has transpired while he was sleeping. But I also recognize that maybe he is a messenger of something good, that his illness was able to make us all aware of the problem. Just maybe he won’t be just the one with bad luck, but the one who can to bring this to an end. This will end. Quarantines will work and we will all be stronger for it.
By the way, as many have asked, of course he went to the doctor and did so many times. No one figured it out and it even took the hospital days to figure it out. This was all new, he had no risk factors to presume he had this. Our family and our dear friend, “the neighbor”, continue to be fine but please pray for those who are positive who have had high fevers and suffered from this. As far as I know, no one else in the community has been hospitalized due to the virus. I really hope I can be negative and cleared so I can be next to my husband who is left alone without his loved ones by his side. I don’t want to think about what it will be like for him waking up alone.
Lawrence and I often discuss that when something that seems like the worst thing in the world happens to us, it always ends up, ironically, being the best thing that happened to us. I am not there yet in this instance, I will wait for his recovery to truly feel that but in my heart of hearts, I think that will prove to be true. This episode has brought out so much love and kindness around me personally and for the community at large. People have been so compassionate and full of good blessings and prayers. So I focus on that wonderful show of humanity. We should all focus on that.
It is easy to be fearful and scared and believe me, my family has been seen plenty of irrational bad behaviors based on it (like the laundromat who wouldn’t do laundry for my other kids who were out of the country and cleared by cdc but by association refused to help them or, the nurse who hugged the walls as they walked by because she heard they were related to my husband), but that is not true of most people. Most have been smart and they recognize this was not caused by any one person. Most recognize that keeping their distance from those exposed and using good hygiene is what is necessary. I hope the Garbuz name becomes associated not as the ones with coronavirus but the ones who were instrumental in helping get this contained. I have not wanted to speak out as I have no urge to be in the limelight and I am sure my husband would be most horrified knowing he was, but I am willing to if it in any way can be helpful to others, to allay fears and restore feelings of calm. And I wish we can tell that to the stock market too- I am worried how people are faring financially.
As someone whom I think speaks from a place where bad thoughts could run wild, I implore you all not to do so. We are in very unchartered waters with this virus and unknowns are scary but we also know quarantines and testing are helping. Let facts override bad thoughts. This will pass. Let’s all stay rational and calm. And… let’s continue to find the humor in the absurdity of it all. I look forward to being able to laugh about the time we were all “coronaed” (a verb I just made up) with all of you but in particular with my husband.
Today is the jewish holiday of Purim, I am usually baking furiously and sending food packages all around. That won’t happen this year ( for some reason no one wants my food right now) but we are celebrating in our own way. Being grateful for the blessing of being in a place of good medical care (I think a lot of those who are not as blessed), of being surrounded by virtual celebrations of the day, and remembering today is meant to be a day of triumph and redemption. It is still that today, just with a new meaning.
Happy Purim, best wishes of good health and safety for us all!
