From the Public Health Campus on Cedar Newsletter, April 2022: A letter from Cassandre Augustin, PHMC’s Community Engagement VISTA.

Spring is finally here, and I’m thrilled! My birthday is in April, and as I reflect on the last two years, I'm honestly grateful.

Back in April 2020, I was living in New York City, and we were still learning how the coronavirus was spread. I was working remotely to schedule telehealth appointments and share services to support those impacted by the virus. I spoke to so many who were thankful for the option to see a physician from their home and glad that someone checked on them and pointed them to basic resources. By April 2021, I was working in-person more but was sent home during the week of my birthday due to confirmed COVID-19 cases in our office. A week later, I was able to schedule my second dose of the vaccine. Looking back on the wait for the vaccines, I think of people I spoke to who didn’t have access to the Internet or needed a translator, and I’m thankful for the AmeriCorps members and community health workers who did the research and provided those resources so we could all feel a little safer.

Despite the challenges of the past year – new COVID-19 variants, my father passing away from colon cancer last year, and discovering last December that I had inflammation in my lungs due to sarcoidosis – I look at this April with hope. During my trips to the hospital, I was thankful for the protection of the vaccine. I’m thankful for my health care team, including an incredible pulmonologist who took the time to address every question I had about my treatment, including his assurance that it was safe for me to get a COVID-19 booster vaccine with my diagnosis.

I’m thankful to feel the weather slowly getting warmer each week. My lungs are healing, my plants are thriving, and I’ve even scheduled a pottery class! My sister even visited me for the first time in two years. I’ve found while some businesses have loosened restrictions, many understand the pandemic isn’t over. Some places require customers to show proof of vaccination and to wear a mask to protect both staff and other customers. For those businesses, I’m thankful for the choices they’ve made so that we can move forward as a community and enjoy spending more time together again.