One of the hardest parts about being away at college is missing the comforts of home and all the loved ones you left behind. These feeling are heightened ten times more when you’re sick. Everyone has memories about being sick and their family members taking care of them. For me I remember my mom checking in on me every 10 minutes giving me water, saltines and letting me sleep in her bed when I was too weak to go up and down the stairs. This sensation of wanting closeness therefore is at its strongest when you are sick, you suddenly revert to a child-like stage where you craved to be nurtured by the only people you had known to treat like so.
With the seasons changing and the sudden swings in temperature we’ve been experiencing I notice a lot of my friends and classmates began to get sick. I soon became acquainted with the role of caretaker and mom to many of my friends has each one of them fell ill. Often, I would make trips to the on-campus clinic, the pharmacy and generally back and forth from my dorm to theirs. Always the one to get them to bed, offer to make or buy food and advising them that your health comes first, and school came second to your wellbeing.
It was up until now that I had not realized how taxing it can be to take care of yourself and someone else, and I suddenly came to realize how fortunate and grateful I am that I had my family to rely on. For anyone else that is feeling under the weather this season I want y’all to remember that your health, both physical and mental, is first and foremost and to call your family and say thank you for everything they have done for you up until now.