‘I am in danger. Please wear a face covering.’
Istarted social distancing on July 1, 2013. I’d spent the prior three weeks in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital struggling to survive the final stages of congestive heart failure. On June 31, a new heart became available. I awoke the next morning as a grateful heart transplant recipient.
As a transplant patient, I traded the terminal suffering of congestive heart failure for the lifelong complications associated with a suppressed immune system.
It was a fair trade. I could breathe again. I could walk up a flight of stairs, sleep through the night and play with my 5-year-old son without gasping for air. I could work, raise a family and start planning for a future.
But I was also forced to take a daily regimen of immunosuppressive drugs. Those medicines protected my heart from my own immune system, but they also exposed me to a wide variety of other external threats such as the flu, cancer and myriad other viruses.
The existence and threat of COVID-19 has been a significant concern and threat for individuals like me. There is little data to accurately define the true risk transplant that patients face from this virus, but the consensus among my doctors and fellow transplant patients has been to isolate and avoid exposure as much as possible. I’ve been told many of the same things most citizens have heard during this crisis; socially distance, wash your hands and stay away from large indoor gatherings.
One safety measure however, could serve to protect not only me, but my fellow citizens as well. But unlike social distancing or hand washing, the effectiveness of this measure depends on the participation and commitment of an entire community. We must wear face coverings.
Strangely, face coverings have become a contentious issue. I do not pretend to understand why. The unwillingness of some of my fellow citizens to wear a face covering has left me confused, distraught and frightened. But it has also left me exposed.
I’ve spent my writing career focused on issues of national security and war. I’ve taken strong positions on issues such as the war in Iraq and the methods we’ve used to fight international terrorism. I’ve written a book, published articles and spoken to audiences all over the country.
It didn’t take long to realize that I wasn’t changing any minds. My listeners and readers were either supportive or opposed. Opinions were entrenched. My efforts were largely futile.
I don’t know how to approach the issue of COVID-19 and face coverings. As a writer, I feel compelled to share data, quote medical professionals and reference experts who share my view. I should craft an argument, sharpen my prose and ensure each word has purpose. I should briefly identify possible counter arguments and address their perceived weaknesses and shortcomings. My conclusion should be focused.
But I know none of that will matter. We are a nation of free thinkers who seem to associate changing our minds with weakness. We are polarized and take pride in our stubborn commitment to what we view as personal choice and knowledge.
We have earned our opinions. We refuse to change for anyone. And I am just as guilty as you.
COVID-19 has claimed 160,000 lives, so arguing for the preservation of my own life (or anyone else’s for that matter) seems a fool’s errand. I cannot save myself by wearing a face covering. I do that to save you. I need you to save me.
As an American I’ve always felt hard wired to make difficult choices, accept challenges and seek out adversity. I learned that doing what was right would almost never be profitable, easy or rewarding. The measure of success, I’d always thought, was earning a reputation defined by words such as loyalty, commitment and sacrifice. It’s why I enlisted into the Army, worked as a police officer and served overseas.
In a world of COVID-19, patients like me are forced to rely on the commitment of fellow citizens to face adversity and do what is right.
I do not have a focused or eloquent conclusion. I do not know how to change the mind of my fellow citizens whose fear of inconvenience has eliminated the courage of sacrifice.
I am in danger. I am afraid. So are many others. Please wear a face covering. Help us.
Eric Fair is a writer living in Bethlehem. Follow him on Twitter at @EricFair8