Items
topic_interest is exactly
tragedy
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2020-05-31
I Can't Breathe
We marched up 4 miles of downtown Greenville chanting his name throughout the streets. I remember feeling like his name was a battle cry. I call to action. And a call for us to rise up and understand the true meaning of reason of why we choose to gather here today. George Floyd. His life was was tragically taken but his legacy was lovingly memorialize. It was beautiful to see and take part of historical moment like that. A moment of where a marginalized individual was taken out of the gaps and silences of history and placed right front and center within our cultural and society. -
2021-03-04
For some, there will never be a "back to normal"
"(via @readingstar18) When you say "I can't wait until things get back to normal" know that my life will never be "normal" again. When you say "Soon #COVID will just be a bad memory" know that Covid was a traumatic event and will always be a reminder of how my life drastically changed forever. When people say that #COVID19 is a hoax or only affects the elderly or people with underlying health conditions, remember I lost my young and healthy husband to this horrible virus. When you see something written about me and my family and say its fake news made up by the media as a scare tactic, I know that I am a very real person going through a very real tragedy and I share my heartbreaking and important story to show that #COVID19 can affect anyone. Nine months since my #HealthcareHero husband lost his life and the insensitive comments made by others continues to add to our grief. Covid is very real and has had a lasting impact on my children and me. So please be kind to those who are trying to heal and move forward." -
2020-10-14
Cancelled our Wedding Three Days Prior after receiving COVID-19 yet with an Unexpectedly Joyful Conclusion
It came as a surprise to both my fiance and I that we were infected with the COVID-19 Virus, also known as the “Corona Virus.” The shock did not originate in finding the virus itself, but the timing of the discovery itself. We were going to get married in three days. Before the news of Corona arrived, we decided to get ourselves married on her parents farm in the outdoors and have a grand celebration with all family and friends invited, about 200 people give or take a few. Her parents wanted to renovate the farm and turn it into a wedding venue for future events so building tables, benches, and acquiring all manner of silverware were necessary for the final product. When Corona extended its influence in the United States along with the first round of restrictions and small stores closing, we decided to decrease the size of the wedding by about 75, family and only very close friends only. We were glad we set the date to early fall as a spring or summer date would have been definitely cancelled; we believed Corona would have faded by then. After eight months of construction, carpentry, painting, and landscaping (a lot of landscaping), the slightly dilapidated farm turned into a small paradise surrounded by beautiful, wooded ridges on both sides. My fiance and I became well-rounded in all forms of renovation and wedding prep as we were first-timers in both arenas. It was perfect and everything we could have wanted. Corona was still continuing across the nation and a good portion of the invited decided to not come to the wedding, their replacement being lovely cards and well-wishes. This wedding was to be a big reprieve in the midst of the chaos. When the doctor brought back our results, I actually laughed out loud in the hospital room where my fiance and I were rapid-tested. For all the work, toil, and increasing disappointments we faced for the greater portion of the year, we would receive nothing, 2020 finally dealt us its trademark terrible hand. What happened next was quite a surprise. Rather than the expected emotional infection of defeatism and grief, our families breathed a sigh of relief. All the stress of the last few months finally disappeared. What was there to be stressed out about any more? The worst-case-scenario actually happened at the worst timing I have ever experienced… Yet, we were still here. Fortunately, only my fiance and I were infected; the rest of our families all tested negative. Even more fortune came our way as rather than cancelling the whole wedding, we were able to postpone to a later date a whole month later, October 2nd, 2020. We took the time to rest and relax, along with planning precautions we would have never seen if Corona never affected us directly. Today is October 14, 2020. My fiance now wife, Sophie, and I have been happily married for about a week and a half. We just placed the finishing touches on our new apartment and stocked our pantry and fridge with our first grocery run together. Our honeymoon to northern Minnesota was a resounding success. The weather couldn’t have been more beautiful and the colors more vibrant! I am just starting my senior year in college, hoping to complete a degree in History by next Spring and pursue my Masters soon afterwards. Sophie is currently working for her parents as her recent completion of a Piano Performance degree has yet to fulfill its purpose (The musical arts are currently smothered due to Corona), hopefully by spring a solution will present itself! I am so glad the discovery of this Archive came when it did. The story is so fresh in my mind and the Archive’s values in rapid-response collection and full inclusivity match perfectly with our current state. I hope this story is inspiring and empathetic to those who read as every story I have thus read on this Archive has made me feel stronger and more confident amidst a terrible storm. Thank you for reading! Ian Stewart -
2020-03-15
A very COVID year.
My nightmare began in March when the government announced that most businesses would be closed due to the pandemic. The day before, I went to a party and I enjoyed myself. Little did I know that things would begin to change drastically. I heard very few things about COVID-19 before the lockdown, all I knew was that it was a respiratory illness and that the first case was found in China. I never thought that it would’ve made its way to America so quickly. As time went on, the days got even more scary. Schools, malls, stores and even supermarkets were closed. Reality hit when I saw how the cases were spiking in NYC. My job was temporarily closed so I was at home whilst doing my remote learning studies for nearly 3 months. I was so overwhelmed and exhausted mentally. Even though I did not leave my house, my mother and sister did everyday because they were essential workers. Every morning they left, I would panic, I was scared that they would catch the virus in the hospital and bring it home to me. My thoughts began to consume me, especially being home alone all day and watching the news. Hundreds of people were dying and the hospitals were full. Nurses and doctors were also dying. I remember watching the news and hearing about how many bodies there were. The morgues were full and they had to use freezer trucks to temporarily store the bodies. Watching the news every day made me anxious and sick to my stomach. Every night I would pray that the cases would decrease so that we could return to normal life. This pandemic is simply the most mind-racking experience of my life. I learned to appreciate life. Even though we are technically still in a pandemic, the cases are dropping and businesses are slowly opening. I just hope that we can soon resume life without masks and worry.