by Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief
At the moment I am writing this, the world is slowly beginning to shift back to a sense of normalcy. As vaccination efforts are in full-swing, and folks are able to start seeing friends and loved ones again, I feel the collective sigh of relief in the Universe.
It has been a stressful year and a half for everyone, but for brain injury survivors it has been particularly challenging. As I said before, we are used to isolation — but it has always been on our own terms. When we went into lockdown across the country, we had no choice in the matter. We were forced to stay home and away from those we typically hang out with.
As many of you know, I am a caregiver to my parents, who are in their mid-eighties. My mom is actively going through chemotherapy, and therefore was considered very high risk. This made my decision to self-isolate from my friends a bit easier, but it doesn’t mean it was “easy.”
I had my share of dark days and feelings of depression.
I feel some of the tension melting off my shoulders now as all three of us are fully vaccinated and can start to ease back into a sense of normalcy. It has been hard on my mom not being able to go to lunch with her lady friends every month, and the same holds true for me.
Moral of the story: This hasn’t been easy on anyone … I encourage you to give yourself a pat on the back and a high-five for making this far without completely losing your sanity.
