Dear TRENDS Diary –
I’m a 45-year-old, married father of two. I go on long bike rides almost every day from our Boulder home. Lots of my friends are curious how someone as healthy as me got COVID, and why it lasted so long. My wife and I and our kids were careful. Yet, I’m the one who got sick.
Truth is, I have no idea how I got it. But I got it all right.
It started with a 103-degree fever that wouldn’t break. Then it turned into a shortness of breath. In all, I had a pretty severe case for almost two months.
I realized at some point that I wasn’t going to get better anytime soon. Now, more than 200 days later, I’m 98% back to normal, but I still experience tightness in my chest, which is disconcerting. I’ve realized I need to treat this like I’m in physical therapy.
If it weren’t for my incredible wife who was able to take over, care for our kids, and bring me food as I convalesced upstairs, I don’t know how I would have gotten through it. I really think about people going through this who don’t have such support. That would be really, really hard.
I’m sharing my story in part because the whole mask debate seems absurd to me. I keep seeing two sides of the same coin, but they’re not being discussed as such. Some want everyone to wear a mask and keep their distance. Others are in a rush to open our economy back up. But the second thing can’t happen until the first thing’s accomplished.
Here’s my message to CU students in particular: You don’t want this one. The only way we’re all going to get on the other side of this is to prevent the spread.
– Patrick Ryan, as told to Chris Barge
