REFLECTIONS : I Got Covid !
by TERESITA BACANI-OROPILLA , MD
This 93-year-old female physician had a “ dying ” iPhone . It was her main connection to the outside world ! Braving the odds , she went to a thriving , crowded phone shop in a busy shopping mall and stayed more than three hours among the mostly unmasked customers to get it fixed . Four days later , the phone worked perfectly well . The owner , however , developed malaise , body aches and a cough ! That ’ s me ! I got COVID-19 !
I was placed in physical isolation for the next five or 10 days in my assisted living facility and it was not a pleasant experience . No visitors are allowed ; instructions for care are relayed through computers . Staff can come in like aliens in protective gear with only their eyes visible . Words of dismay or comfort from beloved family and friends are sent through text messages or FaceTime ( I have to be more competent so I can catch them all !).
This isolation has certain advantages , however . One has finally enough time and a chance to review one ’ s spiritual and temporal life and make changes if needed .
Nothing is more satisfying than a review of one ’ s challenges and how they were resolved . I had time for musing and laughing over the antics and the blessings of children and grandchildren , their exploits and efforts to succeed and their triumphs ! I ’ ve been feeling so thankful for all the people that changed my life , and vice versa .
Each and everyone has only this life to live . Guard it . To live it well is Heaven on Earth . Not even getting COVID-19 , with all its variants , can change that .
Dr . Bacani-Oropilla is a retired pediatrician and psychiatrist .
26 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE