On Aug. 10, my son John died as a result of COVID 19. He was 43 years old. The previous Wednesday (Aug. 5) he had tested negative for COVID-19.
John had diabetes but otherwise was in reasonable physical shape, and he was fastidious about wearing a mask, socially distancing and washing his hands. Through conversations with medical professionals involved with COVID-19, I have learned that the medical professionals and scientists do not know a lot about how this virus operates within our bodies.
We in the United States are arrogant if we think we are going to conquer this virus (”I did all the right things and got COVID-19 anyway,” Aug. 20). We do not have respect for the virus, which is a huge mistake. None of us alive today lived through a pandemic of this magnitude (the last being the 1918 influenza pandemic that killed 50 million people worldwide and 675,000 people in the United States).
It is frustrating to me as a parent and a citizen that we cannot do simple things like wear a mask, social distance and wash our hands. This is not a political statement, but something that each of us needs to do for each other. These simple things that are easy to do and are no different than driving unimpaired or not smoking in public places — these are things that benefit all of us and help to keep us safe. The worst thing a parent can ever do is to bury one of their children. If all of us can pull together to do these simple things, perhaps it will keep some other parent from the horror of seeing one of your children die.
Philip Lange, Cockeysville
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