The year 2020 was one for the history books. I pondered on whether I should write an article of my year in review because I felt everything was at standstill for me. There was so much happening, yet nothing going on at the same time. I will start with the first quarter of this year and bring it to present day.
In early-March, we had our Lobby Days at Congress for the Lymphedema Treatment Act. The conference was successful and we made great strides. By mid-March, we were all told we had to stay home and “quarantine” due to COVID-19.
Initially, I thought this was something that would end in about two weeks or so. As we all know, that didn’t just happen.
The Pandemic
Everything was being canceled one after the other—events, walks, movies theaters, gyms, churches, schools, and the list goes on. So many people started losing their jobs. While I was fortunate to continue working remotely, as I have in the past, being confined to my home, not able to go out, was really difficult.
It didn’t really sink in until people that I knew personally were being diagnosed with COVID-19.
I had been corresponding with Pamela Ross, the Director of the Lymphedema Education and Research Network (LE&RN)—whom I had met in New York, two years prior—about our 5K walk which was scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 28, 2020. We emailed back and forth a few times. But I never received a response to my last email. I had assumed she was busy and trying to navigate through life during a pandemic. A few days later, I learned COVID-19 had claimed her life. I was shocked. She was one of the nicest people that I’ve met on my Lymphedema journey. Rest in Peace, Miss Pamela Ross.
My husband is a DC Fireman who works on the front lines; immediately, I was concerned about his health and well-being. Like most public servants, he was—and continues to be—in a vulnerable position as he dealt with a multitude of high-risk situations on a daily basis.
My mother, although a very active retired senior citizen, and in good health, is in a high-risk COVID-19 group due to age. I worried constantly about her.
When COVID-19 was first announced, no one knew exactly how or where or when it was transmitted. Tests were not plentiful as they are now. Not knowing was the scariest.
My mother was the first in our family to have been exposed to COVID-19 from three of her closest friends who reside in a senior living facility with her. My brother and I panicked. Though she had been exposed, she didn’t have any symptoms, and was therefore not able to get tested. Although more widely available now, at that time, tests were scarce. My brother found a healthcare facility near his home in Virginia, an hour away from her residence. Out of pocket expense for the test: $200.00.
She tested negative for COVID-19. Two of her friends, however, were hospitalized. Thankfully, both are home and have since recovered.
Two weeks after my moms’ exposure, someone in my husband’s firehouse tested positive. The entire shift had to quarantine away from their families. They stayed in designated hotels for ten days, as a precaution, so they wouldn’t infect their immediate family members.
Everything happened so fast. One moment he was at work, the next he was quickly packing to quarantine away from me, with other firefighters and police officers. It was difficult; I worried constantly until I realized he was symptom-free.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, I’ve been tested twice. Both were negative. The care for COVID-19 has definitely changed since my first possible exposure. Initially, I could only get a video-visit with my provider because I didn’t have any symptoms. Today, you are able to get tested daily, with or without symptoms. I commend the ongoing efforts to improve testing and tracing to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
Moving During a Pandemic
My husband and I purchased a home in DC in 2019. Completing renovations on our home and moving during a pandemic has been quite the experience. When we began the process, it was so exciting and then…not so much. There was delay after delay, due to shortages and stoppages arising from shutdowns, closed businesses, and limited staffing. And just as we were getting ready to move in, my husband received a call informing him another co-worker on his shift tested positive for COVID-19. He immediately went into quarantine, and I was stuck in our old home, alone, furniture-less, with only a laptop and a TV. Most of our belongings had been shipped to the new house. To top it off, we could not set up internet service in the new house because technicians were prohibited from going into homes in their effort to avoid exposure to COVID-19. Furniture shopping was not as promising as I thought it would be, either, with deliveries over 12-16 weeks behind schedule. This was, by far, the longest move in history. At this point, nothing surprises me.
The Revolt
On March 13, 2020, a 26-year old Black woman was shot and killed in Kentucky when police officers forced entry into her apartment on suspicions of drug dealing operations. She was in her apartment with her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, sleeping. Breonna Taylor was an Emergency Medical Technician worker.
On May 25, 2020, a convenience store employee called 911 and reported that a man had purchased a pack of cigarettes with a counterfeit bill. The Minneapolis police arrived at the scene and George Floyd was placed in handcuffs. As the world watched, an officer kneeled on his neck for eight minutes and forty-six seconds, resulting in his death.
During the pandemic, protests and politics took center stage due to police brutality and the deaths of George Floyd, Beyonna Taylor, Ahmad Arbury, and countless others. Over 2000 cities and over 60 countries ignited in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement. It is estimated that 15-25 million people participated at some point in the United States, making the protests the largest in US history. The majority of the protests have been peaceful, but in some cities, it escalated to riots, looting, and violent interactions between police and protesters.
The movement has sparked much-needed conversations on systemic racism, social injustice, and police brutality that was often swept under the rug. Around the world, people held up signs in support of Black Lives Matter, Defund the Police, No Justice No Peace. Everyone was paying attention. It bore what I call the Revolt of 2020.
I had a wide range of emotions, from proud to scared, and empowered. The traumatic police killings played on repeat on television and across social media forced me to filter out what I exposed myself to, and ultimately, I disconnected from social media for a while. Around me, there were boarded up buildings, spray-painted slogans, tear gas, and other extreme circumstances. Living in DC, I’m used to protests and demonstrations, but this was so much bigger. People of all races stood up and showed out for racial inequality. The protests led to budget cuts, police reform, monument removals, name changes throughout the United States. More changes are underway in several cities.
On September 12, 2020, the city of Louisville, Kentucky agreed to pay 12 million dollars to Breonna Taylor’s Family and also agreed to reform police practices.
In 2020, we elected Joe Biden to be our President, and Kamala Harris our first woman, first Black, and first Asian American Vice President.
We move so fast all of the time and are constantly on the go, quick to move on to the next thing. We often ignore each other. Sometimes, we may be a little rude, and there are times when we are so wrapped up in our own world we are blind to what goes on around us. I’m definitely guilty of that. 2020 pushed the pause button. We all sat still and paid attention; we were present as we were forced to pay attention to racial bias, inequality, police brutality, sexism, and racism.
Living with Lymphedema during Pandemic
I was being treated for Lymphedema, and when the pandemic hit, my therapy sessions were abruptly canceled. My therapist was concerned about direct patient contact, although we were both masked during treatment. Since the office was closed, we agreed to go with the last measurements that were taken during my last visit and held on to hope that the swelling wouldn’t change too much until I received my new garments.
In mid-December, I had my year-end Occupational Therapist visit. My swelling was up in my leg and I was remeasured for new day and night garments. Although it has been an unusual year, I’ve been using my downtime to elevate my legs as much as possible.
I was invited by LE&RN (the Lymphatic Education & Research Network) to be included as an advocate in a book featuring over 200 advocates from all states. We shared our stories and recommended changes in health care policies for Lymphatic Disease. The experience was really cool and different. Due to the pandemic, we had to do everything virtually, including taking our pictures.
I started an online Lymphedema Advocacy Group for DC residents through the NextDoor app for people living with Lymphedema in my region. With everything being shut down, and so many canceled events, it’s important to find ways to stay connected.
Overall, 2020 was a roller coaster for me…dealing with the pandemic, protests, moving, working, running our business, having a little anxiety worrying about my family, trying to focus on health…it’s been a little overwhelming, to say the least. With nearly everything being virtual, I am over Zoom calls, Zoom conferences, and Zoom meetings with family and friends. I’m ready for human interaction. Zoom in…Zoom out…
In 2021, I hope for sanity, peace of mind, continued health and wellness, and some sense of normalcy. Protecting my peace is my biggest concern.
What did I learn most from 2020?
Life is not promised. Don’t take it for granted. With all of the stressors in life, mental health is just as important as physical health.
