This week, one of my dearest friends died at age 55 of COVID-19 after a week in ICU on a ventilator. She had been a pediatric nurse and sole caretaker of a parent with severe dementia. She also leaves behind two devastated daughters in their 20s, one of whom was present for her mother’s last agonizing hours.
My friend was one of the kindest, most giving people I have ever known… a real loss to her community.
Here in Pagosa Springs, we have enjoyed many months of low transmission rates compared to crowded cities, allowing many people to become complacent, thinking the risk is fictitious. The rapidly rising case numbers here and in La Plata county for the last two weeks prove otherwise.
Viruses have only one agenda — to replicate! Certainly, some folks will have the right combination of genetic, dietary, age, attitude and lifestyle factors to handle any exposures. Many will not be so fortunate. Some with relatively mild initial episodes will emerge as “long haulers”. Some will bear the guilt of infecting less resilient family members.
So if you think you’re smarter than the virus, think again! Viruses adapt and mutate much faster than their hosts. Please care enough about yourself, your family, friends and community to help control the spread of COVID-19. The life you save might well be your own.
E. Coleman
Pagosa Springs, CO