Participant 17
Key
Body Posture: Straight it all and erect, promoting positive health VIBES, immolating from the counsel received throughout this pandemic
Color:
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Black; for the unknown, fear anxiety, and despair
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Red; pain, discomfort
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Rainbow: the better, bright side to this
Lines/Textures:
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Arrows represent movement
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Lines; discomfort and circulation issues
Personal Slogan:
Placate don’t exacerbate P.D.E
Marks on or under the skin:
Placate don’t exacerbate is my slogan and my truth. It’s how I was able to keep some sense of calm, during the murky scary time in my life. I lived it, by way of taking my own advice to heart. My interaction with family, friends, or anyone for that matter was valued under this dynamic.
Message to others:
F.W.G.Y.T Find what get you through meaning, whatever affords you your sense of understanding or relatability to this pandemic.
Also, T.I.L.A.C There is life after COVID; pick up the pieces pull from the knowledge you garnered, not only COVID, but what you learn ed about yourself.
Support Structures:
I utilized family, news, social media, prayer aspiration from childhood, and anything else that crossed my mind to pull from, I did.
Future:
Future with semblance of normalcy, with more energy, more disciplined approach to my health and wellbeing.
Story
My body map shows my struggles and my success my hope and my despair my optimism, and pessimism. Lastly my wishes and my reality. “My journey was storied in January when my next-door neighbor rushed his mom to the emergency. His mom was and is a DMC employee. I asked him later what happened, he told me, the hospital administered to his mom a concoction of medication in the form of a 2 pack: apparent flu like symptoms. Next, late February or very early March 2020, I get a desperate call form one of my sons, he states, “mom needs you to take her to emergency.” Mind you, this is my ex-wife, but I obliged. No PPE, off we went, sick ex-wife and two of my sons. They sent her home on the way I stopped and got her some Nyquil. Days later, my sons and seemingly lost our taste and smell, whilst my ex-wife, was diagnosed with one of the earliest case of COVID, my son and I took test all of which were inconclusive. So, time moves on, all the world it seems is on alert about a new illness. Later defined as COVID. I became paranoid like most, mask, and gloves on but I still felt out of sorts. And knew something was wrong. So now the state fairgrounds a mast testing site, so I became one of the earliest participants. My first test was inconclusive but the second one or the re-test was conclusive. So, I quarantined once done I felt a little better, but I was still sluggish and lethargic. So, I told myself lets remain optimistic and that worked months of 2021 in my mind COVID is coming to an end surely. Well…not for me. I began not feeling well and sleeping immensely 12 hours and still wake up exhausted. WTH is happening. So I call my Henry Ford Doctor, have a virtual appointment and get referred for testing again, low and behold COVID again. Quarantine time which I completed. Now I am in present day, and I became aware of the following, funny heartbeat (arrythmia) inoculation issues, my big toe looked funny and discolored and I developed body aches and headaches. I rationalized initially telling myself, well you’re getting older. Then I started hearing different things, other people experienced so I know some of these issues were COVID related.” - COVID Long Hauler