A Velvet Paws Original
These are strange times we are living in. Who knew we would be facing a silent killer of epic proportions in the 21st century?
But then, here we are.
The health crisis has crippled countries all around the globe. With hospitals at full capacity, a lack of equipment and staff, now the doctors have to decide.
[Image via Johor Bahru Immigration Department]
Who has the highest chances of recovery? Who is worth saving?
As a senior citizen, I am the most “at-risk”
Being a senior citizen and having had heart surgery means that I fall into the “high risk” category.
My chances of getting this disease is much higher than the average “healthy” man or woman on the street.
This means that should I get infected, I will probably be denied a hospital bed. I will be told to isolate myself at home and hope for the best.
I live with a three-year-old dog Snowflake, and three geriatric cats.
Blackberry, my 15-year-old cat, requires subcutaneous fluids three times a week. Not to mention a whole arsenal of supplements for her failing kidneys and liver.
My dog Snowflake, pictured here, requires a supplement to contract her muscles due to a weak bladder. Without it, she will pee uncontrollably.
I worry that no one will look after them, should anything happen to me.
Going to the store terrifies me
Every trip to the vet or the grocery store is an exercise in terror. I come home worried sick that I may have come in contact with someone who has been infected.
And since the incubation period is two to three weeks, you’ll never know until it’s too late.
[Image via SouthChinaPost]
Due to the “high risk” factor, I had to leave my job at the vet. They have closed the schools and my supplementary paycheck along with it.
I worry about what I have to do when the little money I have saved runs out.
Others, like my brother, may be the sole breadwinner of the family.
Right now, he is the one responsible for getting the necessities required to run a home with a wife and two kids.
Stray cats and dogs are at a losing end as well. This is because rescuers are not allowed to travel to designated feeding spots to feed them.
Essential service workers: The unsung angels of the MCO
In the midst of all this doom and gloom, there is thankfully, a ray of hope. We hear stories of NGOs still going out to deliver food packages to the needy.
Even though news is available online, my newspaper vendor risks his own health to make sure that we get a hard copy of the dailies first thing in the morning.
And then there are the delivery guys. They take the risk of sending you your food or delivering supplies where they are most needed.
[Image via IRL Editor]
The numerous roadblocks require a police presence and they make sure people are adhering to the MCO.
These are the unsung angels whose dedication to duty puts them in the line of fire.
They may not be working at the frontlines in a hospital dealing directly with patients, but they are still making sure life is carrying on.
I’m blessed to have good neighbours
Closer to home, I am blessed with good neighbours. They offer to buy me essentials every time they make a trip to the supermarket.
Occasionally, they pass across some tasty dish that they have cooked.
The vet nurses at my clinic have offered to come to my house to help me give fluids to my cat. It’s a process that requires injecting the animal, not something I relish doing.
[My elderly cat, Blackberry]
Thankfully, a crisis of this magnitude brings out the best in most of us.
Residents in our community have banded together. They provide food for those unable to support themselves or those who are too infirm to do their own shopping.
I will not go gentle into that good night
Somehow, some policy somewhere has decided that I am a relic of the times, disposable and not worth saving.
But should I have the misfortune to contract this virus, I refuse to go gentle into that good night, and will rage and rage against the dying of the light.
I have too much to live for.
For more stories like this, read: 4 Older Malaysian Couples Share Their Secrets To A Long-lasting Marriage and 5 Things Our Grandparents Did That We Don’t Do Anymore
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