E.G., 32, a graduate student in Palo Alto, CA

In a strange way, COVID-19 has been an equalizing force in my life.

I was 8 months into cancer treatment when the pandemic became a headline. Suddenly, everyone else started seeing the world as I did: as a minefield of germs, a series of public interactions requiring masks and hand sanitizer, a reason to take meetings online and have groceries delivered. Fun fact: a visit to the cancer center, in the midst of COVID-19, looks pretty much the same as it did 6 months ago.

With all of that said, I wouldn’t wish this new reality on anyone. And I hope it’s a distant memory, sooner rather than later. When that happens, I also hope we can hold this moment in our hearts, and remember that – for some people in our community – this is what life feels like all of the time. COVID just gave their fears – my fears – a new name.

[submitted on 6/19/2020]

Life in Quarantine: Witnessing Global Pandemic is an initiative sponsored by the Poetic Media Lab and the Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis at Stanford University.

Our Sponsors and Partners

Find Us!

Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis (CESTA),
Stanford University

Address:
4th floor, Wallenberg Hall (bldg. 160)
450 Jane Stanford Way
Stanford, CA 94305
Stanford Mail Code: 2055