Derek

“There was also a fear of being Asian during this pandemic and the fear mongering that spread throughout the country. I heard the stories of the hate crimes going on and some even occurred in Philly. This was something that added on to my daily stresses as I am certain there was plenty of misinformation being spread. I didn’t need to have a target on mine or Ariel’s back.”

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: While I was traveling for work, I heard the news and precautions to take. We also heard that there was no point in wearing a mask as it wouldn’t help. I saw people at the airports wearing masks and wearing them incorrectly and thought they were crazy for wearing masks. I also heard that the virus would only affect senior citizens. Hence youngsters need not worry about it.

I also heard that the virus would only affect senior citizens. Hence youngsters need not worry about it.

I was just brushing it off, following the bare minimum precautions. The least I would do is wash my hands more often, though I am fairly clean anyway. Though it changed when my girlfriend, Ariel, started getting sick. I started following all the precautions and shifted into a completely different mentality, and made sure that she was okay. I tried to make sure that she had everything that she needed. I accepted that I would also get affected by this as there was no way for me to avoid it. All that mattered at the moment was that we were prepared to face it.

I was just brushing it off, following the bare minimum precautions... Though it changed when my girlfriend, Ariel, started getting sick.

As Ariel started to get better, I started experiencing symptoms. I didn't qualify for a test, even though I was showing symptoms and was exposed to somebody who was sick with it. At that time, they were presuming that if you were living in the same household with someone who had COVID, you would also have it and did not need to get tested. For that whole week, I couldn't get tested. I had no idea what was going on. I rarely ever get sick. The last time I had the flu, I was a child. I eventually got tested on March 25, 2020, and within three days, I got a positive result.

While I only had a fever, I dealt with constant coughing that would hurt my throat and chest. I felt fatigued, had a lack of appetite, pressure on my chest at times, and was nauseous.

The symptoms that I dealt with were completely new to me. While I only had a fever, I dealt with constant coughing that would hurt my throat and chest. I felt fatigued, had a lack of appetite, pressure on my chest at times, and was nauseous. Those were all the symptoms that I had. But I dealt with being sick far longer than she did. I was sick for a good three weeks.

there was also a fear of being Asian during this pandemic and the fear mongering that spread throughout the country. I heard the stories of the hate crimes going on and some even occurred in Philly. This was something that added on to my daily stresses as I am certain there was plenty of misinformation being spread. I didn’t need to have a target on mine or Ariel’s back.

Every single day my family called us to check on how we were doing — if symptoms were improving or not or if there was anything that they could do. As stressful as that was, I tried to keep my head up and told them that it was not a big deal. “It is what it is. We'll go through it and move on with life.” However, there was also a fear of  being Asian during this pandemic and the fear mongering that spread throughout the country. I heard the stories of the hate crimes going on and some even occurred in Philly. This was something that added on to my daily stresses as I am certain there was plenty of misinformation being spread. I didn’t need to have a target on mine or Ariel’s back.

there were times I thought I was going to die. It was a terrifying thing, not being able to say goodbye to your loved ones one last time.

But, there were times I was terrified of hearing all the stories about people who started experiencing severe symptoms and went to the hospital. It was like a death sentence, especially if put on a ventilator. There were times where I thought that I was experiencing similar symptoms and it might be my last day on earth, God forbid I went to the hospital. I was always very tense and tried to take care of myself or at least prevent those symptoms from getting any worse. I worried about keeping my family informed about that. I don't think they were really aware of what was going on — especially where my thoughts were during those times. I have told some of my friends that there were times I thought I was going to die. It was a terrifying thing, not being able to say goodbye to your loved ones one last time.

I didn’t get to do that with my uncle who passed away at 61 because of COVID-19… He was placed on a ventilator in the ICU. The doctors told his family they were confident he would recover, but he passed away only four days later.

I didn’t get to do that with my uncle who passed away at 61 because of COVID-19. When he initially got it, he was told to recover at home despite having a 104 fever for several days. His symptoms significantly worsened and my aunt called an ambulance. He was placed on a ventilator in the ICU. The doctors told his family they were confident he would recover, but he passed away only four days later. I was devastated upon hearing the news and it made me think about my niece and nephews; whom I love dearly. Most importantly, I worried what would happen to Ariel if I was gone. Losing somebody at such a young age would be heartbreaking for them, and we worried about that every single day, 24*7, nonstop. His death could have been prevented. It’s not fair to lose someone as caring and loving as him so soon due to this pandemic. Because most of our family could not attend his funeral due to the restrictions set in place at the time, the least Ariel and I could have done was donate to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, a place he cherished and supported. We wanted to honor his legacy as best as we could and will continue to do so. We hope that others will support this great hospital as well.

You can donate to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital at https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html

Ariel kept me level headed. I tend to overthink a lot. I like to be prepared for anything that happens. If one situation happens, I have three backup plans for that. And if another situation happens, I have three other backup plans for that. She was there to calm me down when necessary. I would go back to my college days, when I was volunteering for my philanthropy and traveled around the country, helping people with disabilities. We had to be that role model for plenty of kids and people and be an inspiration for them and tell them to have a positive outlook in life, enjoy life as it is and never give up. Being part of that philanthropy for so long reminded me to keep my own head up and not to worry much, do everything I can and give 110% to the very end. These are the two things that kept me going through all those weeks. People saw that via Instagram as I started cooking more to occupy the time during isolation. It was a great way to get through this obstacle while improving my cooking skills and posting great meals on Instagram.

For a while, I had pressure on my chest, sometimes triggered by alcohol or if I pushed myself physically.

Once we were getting better, I still dealt with a lot of fatigue. I could still barely walk, and I lost most of my strength. After ten minutes of a leisurely walk, I was exhausted and out of breath. I’ve never experienced anything like that before in my life. For a while, I had pressure on my chest, sometimes triggered by alcohol or if I pushed myself physically. I had to force myself to rest for 10 to 20 minutes, and then it went away. Later, I learned to do some breathing exercises, and it was gone within 10 minutes or so. Altogether, it took me closer to two months to completely recover and get back to normal.

Altogether, it took me closer to two months to completely recover and get back to normal.

Since I have recovered, I have been incredibly attentive to my health (mentally and physically) and make sure I do whatever it takes to stay healthy; whether it’s improving my diet, lifting more, or scheduling frequent appointments with doctors and specialists. I only dealt with lingering symptoms for a couple months after recovery. I began seeing my doctor more often to ensure my lungs and heart didn’t suffer any permanent damage either. Thankfully, they are both healthy and functioning normally now.

Symptoms: fatigue, nausea, coughing, no appetite, pressure on chest

Blood Type: A+

Treatment: OTC medicines, rest, walking and getting fresh air, drinking plenty of liquids

Recommendations:

• Eat when you can, even if you’re not hungry. Your body needs proper nutrition. Bone broth soup and plain white rice were a great remedy that certainly helped me whenever I didn’t have an appetite.

• Hot showers to allow steam to loosen up anything congest in your chest.

• Keep your head up, no matter how difficult it may be.

• Speak to other people who dealt with COVID as well. It’s great to get other perspectives.

• Get the vaccine as soon as you possibly can while maintaining communication with your doctor on your health. No, the vaccine doesn’t have any microchips… I got the first dose so far and feel just fine. 

• I can’t stress how important it has been for me to document this past year just so I can understand how to better take care of myself while keeping me prepared for any unforeseen medical circumstances. There is a plethora of information on COVID now compared to when we dealt with it last year, so don’t make excuses about not knowing enough about it while making assumptions based on misleading information. 

• For anyone that has a loved one that got COVID, be patient with them. Some people have a harder time dealing with stress and emotions when sick. Dealing with COVID is no exception.

Derek, 29, is a project manager.