Yes, I don’t look sick and I don’t want to.

In my 7 years (and still going on, it’s chronic) of a battle with ITP (an autoimmune disorder that attacks my platelets keeping my platelets low ALL the time making me vulnerable to infections) I had never been vocal about my illness on a larger platform. Only very few close ones know my everyday struggle with fatigue and the restricted and altered (though good in some ways) lifestyle. No regrets though till date. But today, with the coronavirus pandemic I felt the urge to pen this down in the hope to SENSITIZE the people on the importance of STAYING AT HOME. You might feel you are healthy, and your immune is quite strong that a little walk by the roadside or a stroll in the park or a visit to the worship place or a quick buy from a grocery store in your area wouldn’t attract the virus. But let me tell you, everyone in China or Italy or Canada who are quarantined and forced to stay at home might have thought the same as well. We tend to overlook the seriousness until and unless we are personally affected and the worst part is, we don’t even know that we are affected until serious symptoms show up and by then things could have gone out of our hand.

You might be healthy (stay blessed) but that doesn’t deny the fact that you won’t be a transmitter of the virus. Let me remind you, this is not to create panic or fear, but to get serious about it. There are hopes and facts that people recover, THEY DO and then there are people who are vulnerable like us with autoimmune disorders where our own immune system is against us and it’s already a battle in itself for us and we can’t even imagine to take another, not even a normal flu, let alone corona.

Most of us have a suppressed immune system because of the medications (mostly steroids) that has already screwed us. For us fatigue is real. Our body is not in its full capacity. That’s the reason why we take immense care of our diets (with a lot of restrictions), reducing travel fearing that we may catch a flu (yes, just a flu). Treating normal flu itself compromises our health, our energy levels to a greater extent and getting back to the “compromised normal of our terms” takes weeks. And let me tell you that there are many out there with autoimmune disorders who really don’t look sick (worst part, people believe us only when we bleed to death).

So today, if not for you (I wish you take yourself seriously too), at least for people like us, do STAY AT HOME. This is my personal plea. Let’s us not overlook the seriousness and have a casual approach. Let it not get us to a position where even breathing would become a herculean task. ACT like this is a war situation. Let’s stay at home and utilize whatever we have at hand as we would do in a crisis situation. Let’s use our resources optimally. This battle is with the miseries and injustice that we have already done to the Mother Nature. Let’s take this time to realize and look forward for a sustainable lifestyle by taking in deep the essence of this slowed down pace. Let’s take PROACTIVE measures, for ourselves, for others, most importantly, for the next generations to come. They deserve a better place. Let’s be the harbinger of hope and not transmitter of virus. LET’S STAY AT HOME SO THAT THE KIDS CAN HAVE A HEALTHIER AND SAFER ENVIRONMENT TO STEP OUT AND PLAY QUITE SOONER.

Love & Peace, Preethi

(#ITPWarrior)