deb roush

They say a free lunch is never free.

That has never been truer than for my daughter Rene today, whose free chicken sandwich came with a price tag that made me cry myself to sleep.

Rene and I were FaceTiming late last night, and I asked her who had passed away in a friend’s family – I had seen a post on social media. She told me who it was and that she texted her friend, but said she didn’t ask how the relative had died. “Death happens every day. I guess I’m immune to it,” she said simply.

Rene is 24 and immune to death? How?

The answer fills me with sadness and rage. Covid has reared its ugly head again, and Rene is finishing graduate school in an occupational therapy program, completing a practicum in a small, rural hospital. She treats patients on the acute care floor. Because the hospital is small, she works with those who have had a stroke, are just out of surgery for a knee replacement, perhaps, and victims of car accidents.

She has also witnessed countless deaths from Covid. “You should see the X-ray of the lungs with Covid. They have little white spots all over them,” she explained. “The man who died today was on a vent and didn’t make it. He was in his 50s.”

Vent. It’s an ugly word she references daily.

Nearly all of the patients who have died weren’t vaccinated. They came from small towns in the area and just didn’t think they would be affected. Because of the influx of Covid patients, the small hospital is bursting at the seams. There isn’t enough staff to treat all of the patients, and those working are exhausted. The hospital has attempted to transfer patients to a larger city nearby, but they don’t have room either. People remain in the Emergency Room for days. So, the hospital is providing free lunches to the staff to help raise morale.

But it’s not enough.

We need to end the pandemic, and that’s going to take all of us. Educate yourself by reading something more than social media and political media pundits. Stop this selfishness. If you are eligible, go get a damn vaccine. My daughter, her vaccinated coworkers and those who can’t be vaccinated (like children under 12) deserve more than a free lunch.