Yes, my title is a bit extreme. And yes, Please don’t kill my husband, is what I think when I see posts on social media about people not taking COVID-19 seriously.

Is that trip out necessary? Are you really stir crazy after one day at home? Have some Americans already tuned out to the reliable updates and articles about this illness?

Allow me to share an example of how being a little sick can become extreme sick for someone with underlying health issues. This story is from when everyone in our immediate family seemed perfectly fine. We had no idea anyone had a compromised immune system. We were young, healthy, had young kids, life was busy.

It was the fall of 2008. We loaded up our littles to head to Disney. In the airport, Hubby started to have the sniffles. Seemed like no big deal.

By the time we got to Florida I was beginning to worry about him. We attempted to carry on. He tried to fake like he was having fun for the boys’ sake.

Then in the middle of the night, he could not breathe. We had no car and no adult family who could help. I called 911 around 230AM.

The paramedics said maybe he should see how he felt in the morning. But Hubby knew something was terribly “off”.

We were supposed to be in the happiest place on earth, yet there goes my husband in an ambulance while I stay in Disney’s Old Key West Resort with our sleeping kids.

At 530AM I use my Nokia 3310 phone to call the hospital. The nurse on the other end says, “Can you get here soon? We are not sure he will make it.”

I was in shock. He had double pneumonia, a possible collapsed lung and was in ICU.

Sidebar: Disney was not helpful to this stressed momma during that time. This was a surprise given their reputation for customer service.

That horrible trip was 9 years before we knew Hubby has ALS-21. His weak immune system makes total sense now, but we had no clue then. It was a long week and then months before he felt decent again. We were lucky.

So please, if you can keep your possible carrier body home, please do. What may or may not harm you could be lethal to someone else.

Wash those hands. Clean out a closet. Wash your floors. Play board games with your kids. Read verses and share verses that provide comfort. Nap. Rest.

Pray that people take precautions now so that this does not get worse. I think there is a way to both exercise faith and practice safety for yourself and others at the same time. Remember all the healthcare workers who need us to flatten the curve.

Psalm 94:19 When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.