Optimism follows tough recovery from COVID
Darien’s Kristina Gregory is feeling “optimistic about some things” for the year ahead.
The 51-year-old mom of a high schooler and a middle schooler was one of the first in the state to open up about her struggle with COVID-19.
On the morning of March 14, Gregory said her chest began to feel tight, but she had been doing heavy bench pressing and assumed it was muscular. An excruciating headache, body aches, fever and a loss of sense of smell and taste soon followed. Her story served as both educational — about a virus few understood much about at the time — and a warning.
“I’m a very, very healthy person and I got absolutely leveled by this disease,” she said in March. “Playing in your neighborhood, with your friends. You can’t do that right now. You have to stick to your own family, as hard as that is.
“I was in absolute agony for days and I couldn’t get relief from anything,” she said.
Later on, Gregory donated her plasma, now infused with antibodies, to be used for both research about the virus and a possible vaccine. Vaccines have now been rolled out from Pfizer and Moderna, thanks in no small part to plasma donations like Gregory’s.
In terms of the future, she said her family is considering
a trip for this February break while reading through the changing guidelines by state. Gregory also said the family has renewed their
passports, which she said is “very optimistic.”
Gregory also said she can see some silver linings in the past year, including that being at home meant the family got to spend the final golden days with their 16-year-lab, Mookie.
“We wouldn’t have adopted another rescue on Halloween. We wouldn’t have spent as much time together as a family and appreciate the holidays as just the four of us,” Gregory said.
Gregory says the not-sosilver lining is the possibly long-lasting effect on children due to the pandemic and school interruption.
“It’s been very tough on kids with their school year experience. Kids are suffering socially and learn better in person. What will the long term effects be?” Gregory said.
She is hopeful that a year from now everyone can move freely through the country, “vaccination records in hand.”