Aaron Burch
“I lost my mom to this virus. It was quite possibly the worst thing ever to happen in my life. I won't lose you. I can't. I refuse.”
Say it out loud.
#iwontloseyou
You are making a choice not only for yourself, but for the person you're spreading it to and everyone they spread it to.
To all of you proponents of "what about flu/cancer/auto accident/etc." deaths out there:
Of course those deaths matter. Of course they mean something. The abrupt and unplanned death of anyone is tragic. But let's take a look at why COVID-19 deaths and infections are being highlighted right now.
And we'll start with automotive deaths.
So, way back when, seatbelts weren't a thing in automobiles, and people noticed that people involved in automotive accidents were dying from being ejected from the car. After much trial and error, the solution was to add restraints to the vehicle: a lap-based seatbelt mounted to the frame. Deaths for vehicular projection went down, but people were still dying and getting grievously injured. The next solution was a three-point restraint that went across the chest to disperse the force of impact. Deaths and injuries went down even more, but people were still getting injured and dying, so the solution to that was to create crumple zones in the vehicles, or engineered points of failure as a means to protect the occupants of the vehicle.
Deaths and injuries continued to go down, but more needed to be done. As a result, airbags began being put in vehicles, starting with the driver's side in the steering wheel and eventually, the passenger side dashboard. This was all well and good, but even more could be done, so the a-pillar and the c-pillar where the front- and rear-view windows were reinforced in the event of a rollover. They even made them able to be kicked out as a means of escape from the vehicle. Deaths and injuries continued to go down, but even more could be done.
Side curtain airbags mounted to the seats and to the frame of the vehicles, bumpers that can withstand 10 miles-per-hour of impact, rearview cameras, blindspot indicators, more turn signals, more indicator lights, everything that can be thought of to make operation of a motorized vehicle with the goal of minimizing the chances of death and injury were conceived, tested, and implemented to great effect, so much so that back in 2009, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety illustrated this by crashing a 1959 Bel Air sedan into a 2009 Malibu. If people were in the Bel Air, they most certainly would have died.
Let's talk about cancer.
Cancer, in its simplest terms, is unmitigated cellular growth. We have identified it as an (unfortunate) disease that many people die or have had their lives severely impacted from. Billions upon billions of dollars per year are spent researching a cure for it. However, we have identified treatment plans for it, as well as sources of cancer and ways to mitigate getting it. When it was discovered that smoking cigarettes, surgeon general warnings were mandated on cigarette packs. Advertisement for cigarettes was limited. Purchasing age was established and raised. Restaurants and bars prohibit smoking in their establishments to reduce exposure to second-hand smoke. Fines and punitive measures were put into place for underage and improper use and purchase, all acting as a deterrent to keep people from getting it, because the treatment plan for cancer is not one that many have the strength to go through: it's basically a scorched-earth treatment that will leave you weak as we have the ability to destroy cancer cells, but not target cancer cells specifically. It is a terrible thing to go through and my heart aches for anyone who has to endure its terribleness. But at the end of the day, we have a viable and, for the most part, reproducible, treatment plan for this disease, and we are actively searching for better, less harmful, and less invasive methods.
Let's talk about the flu.
The flu is a virus, much in the same way COVID-19 is. Viruses are different than bacteria as they're not technically alive; or at least not in the way that we consider "alive." They have one goal, and one goal alone: attach themselves to a host cell, inject a strand of RNA that they carry to hijack and reprogram whatever cell it attaches itself to to make more copies of itself. Bacteria are like any other cells insomuch that they divide and reproduce like our body's cells, and we have developed medication that acts as inhibitors to many of the active sites in them to either weaken or destroy their cellular membranes so our immune system can better fight them off, or it targets specific organelles within the bacteria cell that will cease functioning. Now, we have developed vaccines for the flu based off of weakened viruses for our immune system to identify what these viruses look like and act like, so should we get infected with the flu, it's a shitty weekend where we're down for the count and we're fine on the other side as opposed to being in our sickbed for days or weeks or even dying, as many people who espouse the idea that COVID-19 is "JuSt LiKe ThE fLu" like to point out. The difference is, we have the ability to prepare our bodies for infection so it's either a mild case or no case. The reason why we get yearly flu shots is that antibodies have a shelf life and there are multiple strains of the flu. We do have antiviral medication in the case of extreme infection, but those are to be used sparingly and with varying effect.
So, why are we highlighting COVID-19 infections and deaths?
We do not have a viable or reproducible treatment plan that guarantees any measure of success. Our current medical treatment plan is to keep the patient alive with the hopes that their bodies build up the antibody strength to fight off the disease on its own. This includes, but is not limited to, putting the patient on oxygen, endotrachial intubation to continue lung function when they get overwhelmed, tracheotomy should the endotrachial tube not work, dialysis of the kidneys, extacorporeal membrane oxygenation treatment that acts as an external heart and lungs, blood thinning to prevent clotting, and treatment for strokes.
We do not have a vaccine for this virus. The scientific community is pushing very hard to develop a vaccine, and it is moving into the next phase of human testing. This is very promising and it shows the dedication of both the medical and scientific communities to eradicate this disease, but it still needs to prove viability as well as large-scale production. Until then, we remain vulnerable.
However, we do have a deterrent for this virus. Now, the virus, although microns large, is (as of yet) not identified as an airborne illness. It requires a vector to travel from host to host, and that method of travel is water droplets that are expelled from the mouth and nasal cavities when coughing, sneezing, or talking. Much in the same way that you would cover your mouth if you cough or sneeze, a simple cloth facial covering acts as a ward to prevent those water droplets from spreading from person to person. And given the turnaround for results of testing, it is not an unreasonable line of thinking to assume that everyone around you has the virus, including yourself.
We have identified a problem. We are actively searching for a solution to this problem. We are actively searching for a way to treat the problem when it happens. We are actively searching for a way to prevent the problem from happening in the future. What we have found in the interim is a way to prevent the problem from getting bigger: wear a mask when you go out in public. It is brilliant in both its simplicity and effectiveness.
However, much in the same way that deterring people from smoking, even though it has been proven to cause cancer, people will still oppose it. The difference is that cancer isn't communicable, meaning it cannot be spread from person to person, unless you happen to be in range of second-hand smoke. If you smoke, you are making a personal choice for yourself, and for the people in your immediate vicinity. You accept the risks and consequences involved when you light up. It is not the same with COVID-19. You are making a choice not only for yourself, but for the person you're spreading it to and everyone they spread it to.
This is what happened with my mom. Someone made the decision to go out without getting tested, without wearing a mask, and while feeling under the weather. And in turn, they spread it to my dad, who, despite following CDC guidelines to the letter, spread it to my mom. And as a result, I don't have a mother, and my children don't have a grandmother. It's not just you. It's six degrees away from you. It's like what happens when a pyramid scheme/multi-level marketing scheme goes incredibly right and everyone gets involved.
This is why it is so important that we deter this virus. Because your life is worth saving. Yes, you. You reading this. Your life is worth it. So is your mother's, your father's, your grandmother's, grandfather's, son's, daughter's, niece's, nephew's, aunt's, uncle's, cousin's, coworker's, friend's, loved one's, partner's, husband's, wife's, everyone. Every single life is worth saving.
I lost my mom to this virus. It was quite possibly the worst thing ever to happen in my life. I won't lose you. I can't. I refuse.
Say it out loud.
#iwontloseyou
View Aaron’s interviews on CNN, ABC12, 11Alive.
Purchase an I Won’t Lose You face mask by Grieve Me Alone. Proceeds donated to Community Foundation Greater Flint- Flint Kids Fund.