According to the CDC, 24,876,261 COVID-19 cases have been reported as of January 21, 2021.  

I was exposed to COVID-19 on Nov 25, 2020, along with my entire family.

My dad had contracted it at a farm business meeting where all individuals were in a room with masks a couple of days prior. 

My dad got tested (or, as I like to say, get his brain tickled) on the morning of Nov 25. He received his results on the morning of Black Friday, saying that he tested positive for COVID-19. 

On Nov 27, I had my first symptoms of COVID-19.  Let me tell you; it hit me like a bus. I woke up to body aches, a dry chest cough, a fever, and the worst fatigue. And the worst part? It was the end of the semester and the next week was finals. I had two timed exams, two final papers, and a written essay exam. 

I felt like whenever I was awake, I had to dedicate my time to school, which still wasn’t very much because I felt like everything I did would drain my energy. I felt like I needed a nap after just taking a shower. I am thankful that I was still able to excel through the end of the semester and end up on the Dean’s List. 

I tried to get an official COVID-19 test, but I did not meet the qualifications. I had to wait five days after my initial exposure, even if I had symptoms. By the time I was officially five days post-exposure, I was way too sick to even think about leaving my house, let alone my bed. 

I have a dog who is over a year old and still has a ton of puppy energy. I felt guilty that I could not take him outside for walks or even play with him much. Either way, I know that I am the lucky one because Bentley was the best nurse I could have asked for. We have definitely made up for the time we missed outside. 

After two weeks, my symptoms started to subside, and I was slow to return to my daily activities. I was happy to get back to normal life and avoid popping pain medicine every four hours for my body aches and fevers. 

It has been almost nine weeks since I started my COVID-19 symptoms, and I am still experiencing repercussions. I keep my inhaler with me 24/7 just in case I have yet another wheezing cough attack, and I can barely make it through a typical day without a nap. 

I wish people would stop thinking that COVID-19 is just like the flu. The flu does not last more than a few days, and usually, the symptoms don’t linger.

I honestly did not think it would happen to me. I am a 22-year-old healthy college student. I wore a mask everywhere I went for the sake of myself and others, even if nobody else was. Trust me, being from a small town in Iowa, nobody wears a mask anywhere as if the virus does not exist. 

I am very fortunate that my family and I made it through COVID-19 with very few complications. Some people are not that lucky. I just wish I could get those two weeks back because they were two of the worst weeks in my life. 

If there is just one thing from my experience that resonates with you, please just wear the damn mask.