Janet Nguyen

Sophomore, Pre-Nursing Major

Hi my name is Janet, and I am from Belmont, North Carolina! COVID-19 has affected me in a lot of unexpecting ways, such as its influence on my family. The day after New Years, my little brother came down with a fever. Two days after, a call from CVS confirmed that he had tested positive for COVID-19. This was especially stressful considering how my mom is diabetic and my 91-year-old grandmother recently moved in with us. According to the CDC, individuals who are either old of age or have any underlying medical issues are at much higher risk for severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19. With two immunocompromised family members under the same roof, we were all worried for what the future had in store.

Both my mom and I tested positive for COVID-19 while my dad and grandma tested negative. My dad really stepped up as the ‘caregiver of the house’ for the following few weeks. My mom was always the one who did all of the cooking and cleaning, so when she got sick, he took her place and looked after her, my grandma, and my brother. I moved back into my apartment before my brother was tested so I had to quarantine apart from them. I was really worried about my family, but I talked to my mom regularly during our two-week isolation. I would say we got a lot closer from the whole ordeal and have continues to keep in touch eversince.

It has been a month since my brother first had his fever. Fortunately, all three of us made a full recovery with little to no lasting complications. I was the first to recover and had the least amount of issues dealing with it: I had no fever and I only lost my sense of taste and smell for three days. My brother, on the other hand, lost his sense of taste and smell for two weeks straight so eating became a lot more boring for him. As for my mom, her symptoms lasted a lot longer than both me and my brother. She had a bad cough and painful body aches, which cleared up a week after my brother and I recovered. I feel very fortunate that both me and my family managed to make it through the pandemic alive and with minor complications (for now).