Not going to die from COVID

By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer 

LAKE MARY, Fla. --  Let me say this right up front in capital letters: I'M NOT GOING TO DIE FROM COVID!

It's not in my place to tell others to mask up. It's not in my place to tell others to get vaccinated.

I've done so for months and all it has done has gotten me stressed out and even to the point where I was on the verge of going to the ER for an elevated pulse rate and heart palpitations. Thankfully, 

This truly has become the pandemic of the unvaccinated and many of those I have come across -- the so-called anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers are driven in denial by right-wing extremism — partisan ideology. 

Thankfully, I am vaccinated and I wear a mask whenever I go anywhere because my immune system is at risk. I may still catch COVID despite these precautions, but my doctors have assured me I'm not going to end up on a ventilator and die if I do.

My wife, Sera, is vaccinated and wears a mask outside our townhome. These are our choices.

The partisan politics, the rhetoric, is sickening (excuse the pun).

The results in Florida and Texas are eye opening to say the least.

It's not surprising considering Florida and Texas are a 1-2 punch in COVID infections with Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas as leading candidates for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024.

On the Democratic side, one governor who won't be running for president in 2024 is New York's Andrew Cuomo, with the sexual harassment allegations mounting... Who knows if Biden will run for re-election of if it will be VP Kamala Harris.

Quite frankly, I don't give a rat's ass about Donald Trump or Joe Biden... From my experience, most politicians are guided by ideology, big money and ideological talking points, which is why I'm a registered NPA. And yes, I vote!

But I am pretty confident that with my two Moderna shots back in April at the Oviedo Mall, my choice to remain most of the time in our townhome here in Lake Mary, Florida and my choice to mask up on the rare situation where I do go out and interact, I'm wearing a mask, I keep my distance and I return home.

I've had brutal asthma attacks where my lips turned blue. I had a medical emergency where an emergency room physician had six nurses hold me down while he stuck a needle directly into my jugular vein to ensure medicine got to my heart when my blood pressure dropped dangerously low.

There was another time in an ambulance where a paramedic stuff an IV needle into the bone of my foot because I'm not an easy stick.

I've had pneumonia where I was in the ICU on a ventilator — on more than one occasion.

But I'm a survivor.

I listen to my doctors. I follow the science. Sure, I'm a pretty smart guy. I do have a master's degree. But I have something more valuable: Common Sense. And yes, I have a strong Christian faith. I pray every night.

But I don't rely on Faith alone. My decision-making is based on a lifetime of experiences — good and bad.

And some things are just beyond one's control: In my case, bronchial asthma. But again, I carry a rescue inhaler (Ventolin). I use a long-acting steroid inhaler - Symbicort. And I have a portable nebulizer (breathing machine) with albuterol and atrovent liquid solutions.

Another was an ascending aorta aneurysm that resulted in a tear in my heart that required life-saving surgery five-plus years ago. I have had dozens of hospitalizations since for one complication or another.

But I am at peace knowing if I'm going to die, it's not going to be from COVID-19, whatever variant or strain may be prevalent.

And some things are just beyond one's control: In my case, bronchial asthma. But again, I carry a rescue inhaler (Ventolin). I use a long-acting steroid inhaler - Symbicort. And I have a portable breathing machine with albuterol and atrovent solutions).

Another was an ascending aorta aneurysm that resulted in a tear in my heart that required life-saving surgery five-plus years ago (pics at left) at Orlando Regional Medical Center. I have had dozens of hospitalizations since for one complication or another. But I am at peace knowing if I'm going to die, it's not going to be from COVID-19, whatever variant or strain may be prevalent.

I may die of a heart attack. I may die as a result of getting run over by a bread truck. I may die from injuries in a car accident. I may die a gunshot victim from an armed robbery or carjacking.

I'm 59 and I love life! I love my wife, Sera. I love music ('70s and '80s). I love watching vintage movies. I appreciate what I have within my means.

And I try to be true to myself even before being true to Y'all.

With that said, the truth is, I'm NOT going to die from the coronavirus so long as I continue to take the proper precautions during this dreadful and deadly pandemic, period, end of story.