Walking through the shadow of death, A personal experience with Covid-19!
I have marked 15 days today since i contracted the deadly virus. I remember how i used to share updates and statistics from WHO satelite and John Hopkins University before i fell a prey to this monster. To some people who might not know, they might have thought that i literary got tired of reporting scaring information and retreated from the front line.This was NEVER true, i contracted the deadly killer that has caused havoc on human kind and society at large. I got this virus not because, i didn’t wash my hands with sanitizers, didn’t practice social distancing, i didn’t stay home but i was a key worker at the front line of this pandemic in one of the greatly affected countries by this pathological killer.
Its honestly true that this Virus doesn’t know age, sex, race, boarders/geography and social status of an individual. I have been part of the Covid statistics since i contracted the virus from mild – serious – critical to the last stage of either death or recovery. This virus doesn’t need to know which Hospital you access your treatment from, which country and the type of specialists handling you. Covid causes worsening respiratory failure especially when it spreads to the lungs and there is potentially nothing much for patients under critical or intensive care can do on their own to heal. So, the normal mechanism is to keep most patients in critical care on ventilation and other respirators. There has never been any difficult moment in my life, than losing oxygen when actually am not asthmatic but because the Covid monster has asserted its grip on my lungs
I had not detected my earlier exposure to Covid as i didn’t present with cough, cold and temperature which all seemed to be normal although my sense of taste and smell had disappeared for quite a few days. When i visited my GP, that is when results turned out to be positive and he advised me to stick to paracetamol and have a lot of fluid intake with a combination of (lemon, garlic, ginger and honey). However, this didn’t stop the virus from worsening as i experienced severe joint and muscle body pains with headache. Presumably, i didn’t know that i would be one of the survivors as i saw myself getting worse day by day for the first time since childhood. Going through all the treatment process is a hard situation but coming out of the Hospital is a huge relief.
Its a strange trajectory and terrifying to see your life walk through the shadow of death. Which ever TV channel i would focus my attention to was reporting on Covid -19. I remember BBC, CNN, CGTN, DW and Aljazeera I started imagining how i would be buried in mass graves of the foreign land and how my name will disappear from friends and family forever. But i realized that am never any different from the people that die everyday. I will live to testify the goodness of Gods word because its not in my means to recover. I cant thank a few friends that have closely checked and constantly prayed for me and the Health workers for going an extra mile to see me smile again. That is why am sharing this info to create more awareness!
Fellow countrymen, the daughters of men and sons of women, you might complain of the University closure as you want to pursue your Bachelors or Masters Degree but have you thought about how many Professors, Scientists and Physicians that have died in this Covid struggle?
You are crying that your Bodaboda has been towed away by the police but have you thought of people who have parked their year 2020 Jaguar, Volvo, BMW, Nissan and Mercedes Benz in their Court yard and struggling to breath?
You might be struggling with rent today and fear your landlord but have you thought of somebody that has left a bigger house in East London, Geneva, Paris, Madrid and its been deserted?
You are very much annoyed for closing the Church but have you thought about St Peters Basilica in Rome, Canterbury and Jerusalem being closed for over a month?
Entebbe Airport is closed and you cant travel but have you thought about DBX, JFK, Schippol, Heathrow, CDG the busiest Airports in the world all locked-down deserted?
You didnt sing on Easter or Easter Monday and you were booked for Kwanjula, do you know how many concerts have been cancelled out in the World during this spring and summer? Please, stop being selfish and look beyond this quarantine and the lock down.
Covid can be defeated if there is high vigilance and commitment to stick to rules
Please stay at home, keep social distancing and wash your hands to mitigate and suppress the spread of the virus. Posted by: Amos Ssemalulu
