Most of our appointments are virtual, using Zoom technology, although recently, we have started to have some in-office appointments at specific locations. Since October 1, I personally have helped complete over 150 FAFSA’s! Whether I am helping a family in-person or virtually, we talk about what is happening in our lives and I have a heard a lot of COIVD-19 related stories.
Sometimes it is easy, when listening to or watching the news, to be somewhat detached from what is happening around the country or around the world. It is easy to think in the back of your mind “that is not happening around here” because it does not directly affect you. With the stories I have been hearing, it is starting to seem a little closer to home.
I have heard stories where people have attended a wedding recently and many of the guests tested positive afterwards. Some seem to show symptoms and some do not. I also heard of a situation where a woman’s daughter died of cancer and they held a visitation. The woman’s husband tested positive for Covid after the visitation and died soon after. She lost her both her daughter and husband in a relatively short period of time.
Just a week or so ago, I was helping a parent with the FAFSA and she told me that her son had tested positive for COVID-19 after working at his work-study job on a college campus. He began getting headaches and feeling dizzy and found out that the virus had affected both his brain, his heart, and most of his organs. He is getting better now but could barely walk for about 6 weeks.
I am sharing these stories as a reminder that even though this virus might seem kind of distant sometimes, it is happening to and has an effect on us and those around us.
Please be safe, be considerate of others, wear a mask, and follow safety guidelines. If we all work together and take care of each other, hopefully we can control this virus and get back to some semblance of normal.
Take care,
John
John - ICAN Waterloo and Hiawatha Centers
