I will survive. My cancer is stage 0 and non-invasive. It will require more treatment and more surgery but not chemotherapy. For another friend who has stage 4 cancer, however, testing COVID-positive meant taking a monthlong break from chemo. A month her health cannot afford.

And then there are the immunocompromised members of my family and of so many other families in this country. According to a Monmouth University poll from January, 70% of Americans believe we need to accept that “COVID is here to stay and we just need to get on with our lives.” But what does the “We’ve done enough and we’re moving on from COVID-19” crowd say to the toddler with Down syndrome, or the teenager who had a heart transplant as a baby? Should they be left in the dust of those who have decided to throw up their hands and let COVID-19 do what it wants to do?…

But some of us don’t have the luxury of declaring an end to our efforts. I don’t get to say enough is enough, because I have to protect my two youngest. I have to protect myself so I can receive the treatment I need to ensure that I am cancer-free. For those who live with immunocompromising conditions or care for those who do, there is no saying, “I did my time.”