Here’s to Christine: a Dedication to My Special Needs Sister in Quarantine

Imagine five months staying in your home, not seeing a family member, and not having the mental capacity to understand why.

Dear Christine,

I know that you don’t understand. It’s not that you don’t understand because you don’t want to, but because you can’t. You wake up each morning, call mom before the sun’s up, and ask when she’s coming to see you. Day after day, week after week, month after month, she tells you that she will see you as soon as ‘the virus’ is over.

You don’t understand that at the rate we’re going where many Americans can’t deal with even the slightest inconvenience (or simply lack empathy) that these daily and hourly desperate phone calls to mom will probably last a very long time.

You don’t understand that a deadly virus is rapidly spreading and those responsible for you and your other special needs roommates won’t allow you to leave and won’t allow any outside guests.

You don’t understand why you spent 29 years never going a day without seeing your mom and the three years after that never going a month without seeing a family member, but now you haven’t seen a family member in over five months.

You don’t understand why you used to go to your ‘adult daycare center’ every day to see your friends and ‘work,’ but now you don’t get to leave your home.

You don’t understand why I get to visit mom every few weeks, but you don’t. Or why I’m hanging out with my boyfriend every day, but you are still trapped inside your house with your roommates and nurses.

You don’t understand why the Easter bunny didn’t visit you April, why you didn’t see mom on Mother’s Day this May even though you begged to, and why mom didn’t pick you up for the yearly June family reunion.

You don’t understand why you haven’t taken a beach trip this summer, or haven’t had any visitors, or haven’t been able to go to Sunday church as you so dearly love to do.

You don’t understand why you haven’t gotten to attend your beloved haircut therapy sessions. Your favorite therapy is a fresh haircut and I can’t even fathom how much you miss that. You haven’t gotten to go to your therapy in almost half a year.

You don’t understand why you have to stay at home all day, every day, with no physical contact even though your favorite thing in the world is to hug anyone and everyone.

You don’t understand that even though you really don’t want tomorrow to be like today, there are people who can understand why they should wear the damn mask or socialize in small groups but because they don’t want this, they don’t do it.

You don’t understand that even though you hate that you haven’t gotten to see or hug your family and friends in months, there are people who can help fix this, but they won’t because they are selfish or ignorant or stubborn.

You don’t understand that even though you just want the ‘virus’ to go away so that the world can be better, there are people who prefer to make it about politics.

You don’t understand that even though your family thinks about you every day and worries about your well-being and your mental health, there are people who don’t think about anyone else but themselves.

You don’t understand that even though your lack of human touch and physical connections is uncomfortable and frustrating, there are people who won’t wear a mask for a 45-minute grocery store visit because it’s uncomfortable and frustrating.

You don’t understand that I don’t give a shit if the virus is a hoax or if the media only wants to encourage fear or if this is all about the upcoming election or if all the doctors are just idiots or if the positive ‘virus’ results are just made up numbers or if the masks actually don’t even work or if wearing a mask or staying home takes away our ‘freedom’ — I just wish people would pretend to care and just do what they’re told just this once to just SEE if it would make this ‘virus’ go away as you want it to so that we can see you again.

I am by no means the only person affected by this. Neither is Christine. But, she is my reason why I just really need my fellow Americans to adopt the mindset of my friends in other countries. People are sick. People are dying. The economy is struggling. And, we really need to do our part. Who cares about opinions and annoyances and whatever else excuse you have.

Caring for others creates the spirit of a nation.

Our nation is failing. Big time. Let’s get on the same team. Please.