I have high blood pressure, along with an autoimmune thyroid condition. 😷 HBP alone makes me twice as likely to die from COVID. If you love me, please wear a mask.
Whatever your reason against masks might be — think of me and mask up anyway.
I need YOU to wear YOUR mask to protect ME. Just as I wear mine to protect you.
Yes, it’s inconvenient. Yes, it sucks. No, it’s not normal. But I ask you to mask up anyway.
• Do you value my life more than your stance on masks?
• Would you regret not putting that piece of fabric over your face if you knew you had been around me or my husband...and I got it?
• Would the not knowing keep you up at night if I were on a ventilator?
• Would you care if I were the person you knew in the hospital fighting for each and every breath?
And if your answer to those questions isn’t anything but a solid, visceral "YES!" that resulted in committing to throw a mask or plastic shield over your face when you are out in public — why are we even friends? Maybe you think, "I'm not even around you, so it does't affect you."
Still, I ask you to consider others. Consider the ones who HAVE to go out to essential businesses or do not have the luxury of working from home -- my husband, for example.
If he goes to work or to do our grocery shopping and wears a mask, but a co-worker or fellow shopper does NOT wear a mask and Sean catches COVID from this person who may not even be showing symptoms and then he unknowingly, unintentionally, no matter HOW STRICT we are on protecting ourselves -- brings COVID into our home, to me...
What then?
The decision of that one person to be unmasked could mean life or death for me. Six degrees of separation is fun...until you realize the impact every person now has.
So. Yes, when I see you without a mask acting as if we are not experiencing a Pandemic — when I see you “fighting” to be maskless from behind a keyboard because you want us to “go back to normal” — it’s personal.
I am high risk. I am TWICE AS LIKELY to die from COVID because of high blood pressure — as are many people I love.
What about the immuno-compromised children I fight for who are or have battled cancer?
Here's a throwback; I watched one of the greatest men in my life die from COVID.
I attended his funeral on Zoom.
I’ve seen the reports that masks and social distancing, even a week sooner could have saved tens of thousands. Let me spoil this for you — when you read those reports, you spend a lot of time wondering, "What if one of those thousands could have been him? Maybe I'd still be able to call him..."
I don't think about my rights. I don't think about the inconvenience. I don't think about how "unfair" it is. I would wear a thousand masks to bring him back, to protect those I love. I will wear a mask to save the lives of people you & I both love.
But, still. I need you to know, your unmasked face makes my heart ache. Because it says you simply just don’t care about ME. You haven’t factored in MY life. You only care about YOU.
Well. My life could depend on YOUR mask. Even if you don't see me. I need you to protect the people AROUND me, too.
So, please. As a friend, if you love me — wear a mask.
And if you’ve gotten this far and have thought about commenting with your reasons for NOT wearing a piece of fabric or protective shield over the holes in your face for (in most instances) under 30 minutes?
Find the IRL unfriend button. You are not the friend I thought you were. ✌🏼