Tale of an Unexpected Year...

Hello, it's Trevor with our last blog post of 2020. This year has been like no other, in the history of anything. We are currently in the midst of a global pandemic. All of our lives have been touched by this in one way or another. By now, I think nearly every person on the planet can say that they know of someone who has had COVID-19 or sadly has lost their battle to this beast. 

Brenda also lost her sister in May of this year to another thief, Alzheimer's. She lost her father to this thief in 2007, which is truly "The Long Goodbye." 

Even during all of this turmoil and sorrow, there has been HOPE. There are those who have stepped up to the plate and are out in the front lines every day. Those are the doctors and nurses and anyone in the hospitals or long term care facilities, who have been helping in saving lives and keeping others safe as possible. The North Dakota National Guard deserves our gratitude. Right from the beginning of this pandemic, they have been there serving and helping. Brenda is truly grateful to all of you. 

This has been a hard undertaking for so many out there. Thank-you seems so small, but that is all we have to offer. Brenda is doing her part with social distancing, wearing a mask out in public or when she knows that being 6 feet away from someone will be impossible. 

We are also grateful to those who have been so gracious, when it comes to deliveries, especially groceries. Brenda appreciates that you are willing to carry her packages up the stairs and down the hall to her apartment door. It has saved so much time and energy on her joints. We are grateful, that we have an opportunity to show our appreciation. Brenda has been using Walmart + since April and it has been a lifesaver. Being in public for that long to shop, is simply not safe for Brenda. She lives with several autoimmune diseases and the chance of contracting COVID-19 is greater, the more you are with people for longer periods of time. Everybody doesn't wear a mask. 

Brenda has also done her part to help out her local eating places, who are unable to run at full capacity. She makes a point of placing an order at least once a week. It gives her a chance to have a treat and also to interact with those who deliver. It beats just having pizza delivered. It also helps to keep others employed, who need the work right now. 

Brenda has been able to work full-time during this whole pandemic. She does not work with patients directly, so it is different in that regard. Brenda stays in her own bubble with going to the break room to make her lunch and eating at her desk. They clean the break room 3 times a day and also their own areas each day, when they come to work. 

Brenda had another unexpected thing happen this year. We may have mentioned it before in a previous blog, but feel it is worth sharing again. In August of this year, Brenda discovered while reading her rheumy's notes, that she had been in joint remission for several months during this year. 

We want to share the link of that inspiring story at the end of this blog post. Next year will be 20 years, since Brenda has been taking a biologic. She believes in scientists. Finding out that a new vaccine for COVID-19 has been approved in the USA is exciting. Brenda realizes it will probably be closer to summer of 2021, before she has a chance to become vaccinated. She has every intent on doing so. Her age group in ND has been hit hard with deaths. 

Brenda has great hope with a new administration coming on board, that things will start to get brighter. One of the main reasons Brenda voted for our current President-Elect is the fact that he understands grief and heartache. He lost his own son to brain cancer. He is also a friend of the National Brain Tumor Society, who sent a letter congratulating him, which Brenda also signed. As you know Brenda had brain surgery, so did President-Elect Joe Biden. He actually ended up having 2 because of brain aneurysms in 1988. He almost died as a result. He may never see this, but Brenda wanted to share this with our readers. 

There is something that President-Elect Joe Biden said during his speech. It resonated with Brenda. "It is during those times of grief or loss, is when we find our purpose." It's pretty close to what he said, thus the quotes. Anyway, Brenda has truly found her purpose and that is sharing her story with anyone who will listen and can possibly gain some insight from what she has to bring to the table. Which brings me to our closing. As promised, here is the link to her RA remission story.

https://www.self.com/story/ra-remission-journey

This has been another T Man Production. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas or however you may wish to celebrate this time of year.