Guest Viewpoint
Reach out instead of putting down
August 20, 2020
I am writing to you all to tell you my story about my experience having COVID-19. I hope this will encourage you all to be kind. My heart’s desire is to see more people reaching out to help others in need.
First, I want to thank all the people who texted, called and brought food over to my house and to my friend’s house. To my friend Jane Taylor who was available day or night when I, myself and my friends needed her the most. And to my Thompson Falls School family that checked in on me to make sure I was ok.
Last week, I went live on Facebook to share my story. When I did my live video, I was in awe of how many people were using social media to attack, point fingers and downgrade others who are experiencing hardship. Social media is a powerful tool that all people can see and use, and a lot of the time it is one-sided and not correct information. We all need to use social media as a tool to lift others up, not put others down or spread personal information that hurts others.
COVID-19 is real, and I don’t think it’s going away anytime soon. I have no idea where I got COVID. We have so many people traveling in from out of town and even with precautions, you can get the disease. When I was diagnosed with COVID, my first thought was not about myself but others with who I came in contact. I made a list of all the people I either sat next to or stood close to. I even made phone calls myself to the businesses I had visited informing them of my diagnosis. My intention was not to scare people but to inform them.
If you are feeling sick, please do not take minor symptoms and ignore them. Stay home. And if you are healthy and know someone who is sick, please ask them if you can do anything for them. We as a community need to come together to help others no matter religion or race. This is a scary time for kids and my goal is to make sure each and every one knows we can get through this. We just need to make sure AS ADULTS we are presenting a good example for our kids and showing compassion for those in need.
Sarah Stover,
Thompson Falls
Editor's Note: We'd like to thank Sarah Stover for sharing her experience with coronavirus. We often hear locals talking as if COVID won't affect us here. We hope Sarah's story hits home and reminds us we are all human and we all need to be kind and respectful during this time of unkown.
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