Today we're all realizing how interconnected we are. We may live thousands of miles apart, but our lives are still affected by people across the world. This really hits home when we have to isolate ourselves from friends and family to prevent the spread of germs.
I really didn’t care too much about germs until Rylee was born. Our three children before her crawled all over the floors, used utensils that fell on the ground, and rode in grocery carts without me thinking twice.
Rylee was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis I learned a lot about bad and good bacteria, infections, and antibiotics. We’d be in public and I would see children crawling all over the floor. I would think, “Oh my gosh, Rylee's definitely not going to be crawling on that floor!” Bottles would drop on the ground, “No, no we need to give her a new one.” Children were curious and wanted to see her. I wore her a lot. I still do. We stayed home and didn’t adventure out as much. She didn’t go to the nursery at church until she was almost one.
Rylee is supposed to wear a mask any time she goes to the doctor to avoid bacterial infections. Some parents also wear a mask so the children don't feel singled out.
I had a thought a couple months into our CF journey: What if everyone that didn’t have CF had to wear a mask?
All CF people need to stay 6 feet away from other CF people so they don't transfer bacteria between each other. What if everyone stood 6 feet apart?
After Rylee was born we washed and sanitized our hands much more thoroughly, to the point that my hands cracked and bled. What if everyone had to wash and sanitized their hands to this extent? Sorry, I really have no advice on how to make your hands feel better.
CF friends chat with eachother over online platforms everyday. They've done this for years. What if everyone had to communicate with their friends and family online through FaceTime or phone calls?
At CF conferences only one CF person is able to be present. All other CF members attend online. What if educational conferences were all available online? How many people would be able to attend?
Because of Covid-19, we're all living in a world like the one that many CF patients know. As Rylee's family, we want to thank you for taking the extra steps to keep our family safe!
