Some Thoughts on the Corona Virus

I made this video back in August of 2014 when I was 9. It's 23 seconds of me explaining why I was doing Juggling for Jude, and it talks about kids with cancer missing out on exactly the kinds of things we are all missing out on right now.

During this crazy time of being quarantined in my house, having online school, unable to do the activities I love or to see my friends, I’ve been thinking a lot. Last night, the power went out in our house, and it felt like a little much. My sister, mom, and I were up together (it was late, around 11pm), and we were talking about how thankful we will be when the power goes back on and how thankful we will be when life returns to normal. That made me think even more. Obviously, now is not the time to ask people to donate to charity. Understandably, people are focusing on their own well-being, and many people are out of work. My parents own a small business that has been shut down, and I know how stressful things are in my own home.

We have all had our normal lives taken from us. We can’t go to work, see friends or family, travel, play sports, or do almost any of things we love to do. I've been so sad at times and actually miss going to school and wish I could! What I realized last night is that, for some people, all of this happens every day, and has been happening for years. People’s lives have stopped. For them, this isn’t the first time.

When children get diagnosed with cancer, their lives as they know them stop completely. They go to a hospital, they can't see their friends or go to school or play sports. Just like students around the country being ripped off of college campuses right now, or like my sister who is a high school senior finding out that all of her final performances for the year are cancelled and that she won't have a prom or possibly even a graduation. When kids and teens get diagnosed with cancer, everything changes. They aren't just quarantined. They're also fighting for their lives and some have to pay loads of money for treatment. They are more stressed and scared than any person should be. Their whole lives are taken from them. This happens to the kids at St. Jude. Thankfully, St. Jude takes away the financial concerns and tries their best to incorporate some of the normalcy in kids' lives at the hospital. They have a school program, they are able to see their families, they have activities, but it isn’t the same.

After this scary and unpredictable time in our lives is all over, and I know it will be, let's try to be grateful for all that we have and all that we get to do.

If you come out the other side in a position to help, please keep in mind the people who have to go through this for years and years, praying that they will live.

Stay healthy, Everyone, and thanks for reading this!

Hollis