That Time Our Kid Got COVID-19

Waiting in line for testing at the Civic Center parking lot in Peoria.

After an e-learning session, Raine spent an afternoon playing with a friend. I made the mistake of letting him play inside without wearing a mask. I'm not going to explain any further than that.

JUDGERS, YOU CAN GO NOW.

Long story short--the next day, we found out that someone in their family tested positive so we decided to get tested. Raine had ZERO symptoms so we weren't concerned. However, we went to Peoria for the Civic Center parking lot drive-through testing and checked all three of us. We felt fine. Dan and I had results 48 hours later - Negative. We celebrated Halloween and the following Monday, Raine's results were positive. The only thing I noticed in those few days were a runny nose. Once we knew he tested positive, I tracked his temperature which hovered around 99.5 for the next two weeks. There were no other symptoms. His runny nose lasted 3 days. If we didn't know that we needed to be tested, we never would have. I would have continued to think it was his allergies.

I KNOW IT'S THAT CRAZY.

Just like that, we were fearfully quarantined. Much more quarantine-oriented than we were before, when I grocery shopped, or we visited Rachel and Tom and the kids. 

Raine was quarantined to his bedroom and when I had to tell him his results, and that he would have to stay away from us and be in his room, he was devestated. So I was devestated. He cried and cried. I tried not to cry. He truly felt like there was something wrong with him because he had COVID and we didn't. He was concerned about his friends finding out, and I had to promise him that I wouldn't tell them, and I wouldn't share it on Facebook (well, now I am but...It's all better). We masked up, told a few people, and asked for help when we needed to. This ranged from a DQ lunch delivery for Raine to sacks on our porch full of disposable masks, disinfectant, extra soap, and sanitizer. (Thank you, friends.) And lots of love through texts.

After 24 hours, Raine adjusted quickly (Oh my heck, how are kids so adaptable?) and began loving his bedroom like never before. Which means: he made a giant MESS of it. Captain Crunch was scattered and pressed into his pillows, Cheese-Itz were sealed to the hardwood floor, granola bar wrappers were in every corner, used plates of food appeared in places that I couldn't imagine, and his school supplies and papers were scattered and smashed all over the floor. He had his Switch, my phone on occasion, and headphones to talk to his friends so, quite frankly, he was doing great.

BUT, GROSS.

Dan and I, on the other hand, vascilated between relief and terror. COVID for Dan was an epic nightmare. A man with lung cancer, people. It's not complicated to tell you that it is complicated. And if I got sick? I'm the buffer between these two goofballs. I don't want Dan sick and I want Raine to get better. I'm the buffer. I became Raine's therapist, waiter, and nurse. As for Dan, I had to stay a little bit away from him...just in case.

After our inital tests (which were only 72 hours after he was -possibly- exposed) Dan and I decided to test again, fearing the first tests were too soon. We tested a week later, both negative results again! Raine's low-grade fever ceased a week later and he was allowed out of quarantine (to his bedroom) 72 hours later. We finished out our home quarantine this weekend.

After we finished quarantine, I visited the cemetary and basically thanked my mom. This is not something I normally do. I don't believe our ancestors have powers to change anything in our lives, but it was my gut reaction to stand at the columbarium, offer a rose, and thank her. Thank her for watching over us, I suppose was the gesture.

I am thinking of everyone out there who had a mild experience like us and how remarkable it feels. It is absolutely unbelievable that Dan, and I, did not get sick from Raine. I mean, Raine is really UP in my business ALL day EVERY day. And by extension, Dan.

And to reiterate...Remember Dan? He has Stage IV lung cancer. He has a single super good lung. The other lung is a little iffy...It gets the job remarkably well done, but it has a large mass forever frozen in it. He is on a drug that only passed approval a few years ago to keep the cancer from spreading. We don't know how it interacts with other drugs and treatments. He regularly gets MRI's and CT scans to watch for that sort of spreading. We are not interested in him getting COVID. Am I right?

Glendale Cemetary, Columbarium I

The gratitude I have hasn't quite washed over me yet. I feel like, even though this illness has left us, I am still in denial that it was here to begin with. Will I get to remember the global pandemic as 'that time our kid got COVID-19?' ....and survived?' ...And we all did?' There is still a possibility of it reaching us again...and anyone we know and love. So we will continue to follow all of the best guidelines and encourage everyone around us. It's not "over" because our son had one (mild?) strain of it.

EVEN THOUGH OUR EXPERIENCE WAS MILD, MANY ARE NOT. USE YOUR BEST JUDGEMENT AND ERR ON THE SIDE OF SAFETY. THIS MIGHT MEAN YOU AREN'T COOL. DEAL WITH IT.

 

I give all of my heart to everyone putting themselves in the line of harm,

to everyone doing their best to handle this pandemic,

to everyone suffering trauma and loss.