In the movie Anna and the King, a woman asks Anna about losing her husband: “How did you survive?”

To which Anna replied, “The same way you will, one awful day at a time.”

I see a lot of people panicking right now – our local schools are shut down, even though we don’t have a single case of COVID-19 in our county, our shelves are cleaned out of tp, baby formula, water, and hand sanitizer, masks are sold out so those who need them most can’t find them anywhere.

Our governor has called for all Californians over the age of 65 or who have a chronic illness to home isolate. I’m not as freaked out as a lot of people but those of us who are at higher risk should be taking more precautions. 90% of those tested for COVID-19 are negative and since only people who have similar symptoms are tested, that means there is a lot of sicknesses out there right now.

Those of us with chronic sickness are all too familiar with being isolated, stuck at home, unable to shop, unable to socialize.

But for most people, the thought of home isolation is daunting.

As useless as I often feel, this is a time when I can reach out and help others. I know how to research and I have lots of recommendations to help people charge their immune system.

Social media is a great tool for connecting with our communities and helping to instill calm. I have started a local group for people to gather. My goals for the group:

1. Provide real information from expert sources
2. Connect people with local resources
3. Provide a safe place for people to reach out when they’re concerned

If you are looking for a way to help during this pandemic, reach out to people in your world and talk to them about their fears. No one knows sickness better than we do.

And when they ask you how you’ve survived, tell them “the same way they will, one awful day at a time”.