My friend died yesterday.

I’ve been up through the night.
I felt nauseous and so sad over finding out my friend died. I feel angry too.
She was a teacher in a NYC public school. Her posts looked like mine. Railing against the mayor and Cuomo for not shutting down the schools earlier. Trying to figure out how to teach remotely. Posting how people should be staying home. Angry they took away her spring break. She got sick. Last Thursday she posted she was finally starting to feel better, her fever was dropping, and she was finally able to start tasting and smelling again.
They would not give her a covid test even though she had all the signs.
Which means… her death will not count.
Which means that whatever Cuomo and trump were saying yesterday about deaths going down yesterday was a lie, because my friend was not counted.
How many others are dying that were not given tests?
She had just posted the night before. Then? A former teacher of hers who I am also friends with sent me a message. I frantically looked on her page and saw her post from yesterday but nothing else, so I sent her a message. I clicked in her comments and then her friends pages until I found them.
The posts about her dying.
I burst into tears. I gagged and felt sick.
Morgan ran and got me water, and rob told them what happened.
Then the president was on and a reporter asked Dr Fauci what his thoughts were on a drug combination and the president refused to let him answer. It was embarrassing and horrifying to watch. The president spent most of the time saying to get ready for a horrible week, then was nasty with reporters, as I sat there saying, “But she was getting better… she was getting better.”
Another expert got up and said we should not even go to the grocery store for the next two weeks.
Rob had just gone to get us supplies.
My friend did not have cancer. She sent me prayers and messages. She was kind. Her death matters. Her life mattered more.
Stay home people.
Her 19 year old daughter who was the light of her life is now motherless.
Stay home.
Today I have to get up and spend from 8:30-11:00 on a video conference for special education transition meetings, then an 11:00 zoom on a district grade level meeting where we still have to figure out how we are going to continue to teach this new way, then a 1:00 zoom meeting on a digital learning platform. I have to release new assignments for today on a platform, check work turned in throughout the day, and start to think about plans for next week. I have to try and somehow help Quinn log into new programs, and keep Madison and Morgan calm because their workload is insane. They are starting to say why bother, because the regents will probably be cancelled and the AP exam is now a joke.
All while mourning my friend.
All while exhausted from my first dose of immunotherapy.
All while hearing politicians play politics and be nasty and spiteful and reporters saying over and over how bad it’s going to get.
All while worrying for the safety of my sister and other police officers.
All while worrying about my parents and especially my mom who was just in the hospital two weeks ago.
All while hearing from my nurse friends how this virus is like nothing they’ve ever seen, they have anxiety going into work because it’s like a war zone, their ICU beds are running out.
All while hearing the next two weeks will be horrible as the week begins with my friend dying.
So, parents…
Keep your kids home. No play dates. No letting them go to the beach or park to meet up with friends.
If your child is overwhelmed with schoolwork, email the teacher and tell them.
Have patience with teachers. I’m not the only one trying to figure this out with so much other stuff happening. We are still here for the kids.
I’m praying the news and politicians are all wrong.
We will see.
Please keep my friend Allysa’s daughter Emily in your prayers, as well as her family and school.
Her death should be counted.
Her life should be remembered.
May today be a peaceful day and everyone stay home, healthy, and happy.
In Jesus’s name, amen.

Xoxo

Keri