Before the Pandemic, a trip to Target felt life threatening to Chelsey Gomez. Less than four years ago, Gomez was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a blood cancer. She was told by an oncologist that she could have only seven months to live.
Gomez wore a mask in public because she could become seriously ill from the common cold.
They would stare at you and think you were weird. I already had no hair.
Her husband did the grocery shopping. Gomez would immediately throw her clothes in the laundry and give her a bath when her daughter came home from preschool.
We have neighbors that have children the same age as my daughter. We had to keep her away from them in case they had a cold.
The Pandemic was an equal in that regard. The entire country had to stay indoors in the spring of 2020. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention no longer recommends masks for most US counties two years later, and public venues are open again. Public-health experts generally agree that the threat of COVID-19 is not as great as it used to be.
It is riskier for chronically or critically ill people to return to mask-free life. Insider spoke with seven people who said they are starting to feel like outsiders again.
The Pandemic put chronically ill people at high risk, but also normalized precautions they were taking to avoid Viruses prior to COVID-19. For the first time, their friends and family started using the same behaviors, like washing their hands frequently or canceling travel plans to avoid getting sick.
I used to be ashamed of wearing a mask. In January, before the CDC relaxed its restrictions, Spiller said that he didn't want to wear a mask.
Many chronically ill people have formed close bonds with their friends and family who are also seriously ill.
Angel said that the people he has come over are a little more isolated, maybe because they work from home or live alone.
Angel had Covid-19 in September and December. She said that she had trouble walking, talking and breathing the first time. She was in the hospital for a while, but she is afraid of getting sick again. She said that her friends and family are willing to test before she comes to see them.
The group of people who consider themselves medically vulnerable was widened by the Pandemic. People with non-critical illnesses, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, have to be cautious as well.
I don't think we are an island anymore. The 54-year-old hairdresser with multiple myeloma told Insider that everyone has a condition.
It was difficult for people with life-threatening illnesses. When temperatures start to warm, they don't feel comfortable peeling back personal safety precautions.
Even when you only see one person, there is always some element of risk. Ali Moresco, who lives in Nashville, told Insider that most people don't even think about that. Moresco has a condition that compromises her immune system.
People in physical pain are more likely to be affected by isolation.
At the height of the first wave of the Pandemic, Spiller underwent a stem cell transplant. It was a lonely experience. Her friends and family were not allowed to visit her during her recovery. She said she was depressed.
"I was in a lot of pain and sometimes I just felt like I was not going to make it out of that mindset."
A positive COVID-19 diagnosis could delay treatment.
I was 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 I had appointments with the doctor all the time. If I had to cancel any of that, that was life and death as well.
People wore masks to protect the most vulnerable. Some people with immunocompromised are now a target of scrutiny.
I am guessing that as people wear them less, I will feel more and more like an outsider.
Gomez told Insider that she has seen side-eyed glances and eye rolls in response to wearing a mask. She started making buttons that said "I'm wearing a mask because my immune system sucks!" or "My oncologist thanks you for wearing a mask!"
I hate that I have to sell one of these buttons, because why do we need them? Gomez asked.
Chronically ill people have been told their lives are not as valuable as those of healthy people. In January, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said it was encouraging that most of the deaths were caused by people who were unwell to begin with.
We keep hearing that it is only the elderly that are in hospitals or sick, that is very wrong.
Walensky apologized to disability groups. The CDC said her comments were hurtful, yet unintentional.
As many Americans dive headfirst back into normal life, immunocompromised people must reexamine what risks they are willing to take. Most are avoiding public indoor settings.
I am not going to a restaurant or a bar that is busy like a mall. Some people would probably hear that and be like, "You have to live your life, come on, we're over this."
Carol Gee, an Atlanta-based author in her 70s, told Insider that people with health challenges feel like normal times. Carol has diabetes. Her husband, who is in his 70s, has a number of diseases. They are still hiding and limiting their interactions with other people.
I hugged and shook hands for 40 years, so it doesn't bother me at all.
The couple is not putting life on hold. They are grocery shopping and seeing friends.
Carol doesn't want to let anything make her so afraid that she can't live her life.
Some people are willing to take risks. Gomez went to her daughter's school field trip. She said there was an option to ride the bus with the kids. Gomez picked the latter.
She said that she was willing to take that risk because of her daughter, and that she put two masks on and got on the bus. If something happened to me, I want her to remember that trip and not just a sick mom.
Many chronically ill people said they were willing to forgo a trip to the store in favor of vacations or family gatherings.
Angel said, "It does get to the point where you have to live a little." I wanted to travel because I was worried about what would happen if I spent the last two years of my life in an apartment.
One day, people with compromised immune systems are anticipating a return to their normal lives. Gomez is looking forward to eating in a restaurant. A friend of Moresco wants to have a drink at the bar. Angel wants to see a show.
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