I heard her through the phone. A distance linked only by a cellular connection. But I felt her deeply in my being. “My daughter is coming home from college”, she whispered. “They closed her University. She has a fever and a cough. What I am I going to do?”. Her lung cancer was progressing. Her immunotherapy wasn’t working. And now she was facing another more serious threat. What if her daughter had COVID 19?

As we talked, I attempted to remain anchored in my nursing training. I was calm and reassuring. I coached her on isolating her daughter or herself in one part of the home. I advised her to adhere to strict precautions and we talked through other places for her daughter to stay until testing was completed. But there was little I could do to soothe her terror. Would this pandemic be her end?

I appreciate the nation’s response in taking this crisis seriously. I am in awe of our University hospital’s emergency preparedness plan. Resources are being freed up, ICU beds and ventilators being positioned and almost overnight our clinic is handling patient visits virtually. I support social distancing and I understand #flattenthecurve. Yet I worry about the looming tsunami effect. The effect of sending sick college kids home to their immunosuppressed family. The effect of overrun, depleted grocery stores restricting the availability of supplies to the most vulnerable. The psychological terror of imaging not being able to breath. And the knowledge that one small exposure to this highly contagious infection could end a life already held precariously in place.

I wish for everyone strength, calmness, ability and encouragement during this stressful time. Social distancing is called for but remaining connected is critical. Let’s look out for each other. #igotchu