We asked readers to tell us how they’re coping during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, we bring you some of the responses. We will publish more in the days ahead. To read all of the Coping series, click here.
In many ways, my family, friends and I are extremely lucky. For the most part, we are still healthy and have not suffered (yet) financially.
Yet our lives feel like they have been put on indefinite hold. My husband just retired in January after 40 years’ employment at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. I am a retired teacher, and we had looked forward to having more time to enjoy life together—take more day trips, journey to Spain this summer. Now we are sheltering at home, our movements severely restricted by the lockdown.
We are both in a high-risk group. Last summer, my left hip was totally replaced. One consequence of swelling after that operation was a condition called saphenous neuropathy—painful numbness in my left lower leg and inability to bear weight without great pain. I have to walk with a cane, cannot bike, dance, hike or do many things I enjoy. My scheduled surgery to help cure the problem has been put on hold for months, due to Stanford hospital’s cancelling all non-emergency operations. In the meantime, some of the damage to nerves in my leg is becoming permanent.
But we have our lives, and for that I am very thankful.
Barbara Saxton
Mountain View
To read other submissions from readers about how they are coping during the coronavirus shutdown, click here.
We also welcome more submissions. Whether you’re working from home, out of work or a critical frontline worker, we’d like to hear from you. Think of this as an opportunity to share with other readers. Not about politics, but about how you’re getting by and how this challenging time affects you.
Send submissions to [email protected]. Please include, for publication, your name and your city, and a horizontal photo of you. Please also include, not for publication, your address and phone number. Please limit your thoughts to 250 words.
