COVID BE?
Covid be that a Covid 19 test is the only test you aren’t supposed to pass?
He is still working from home, says he has a number to chase as a salesman. He also says that there is no cure for Corona. That is only a mere WHO fact, until you have to drink concoctions, hoping your body will remain strong as it tries to fight the virus.
Apart from working from home, Mark Brian has been trying new recipes. And sitting up on his favourite spot on the couch to try and recall all the people he met before he felt sick so that he can tell them to isolate themselves while making arrangements to take the test.
“The results came in on Sunday, but last week was when I felt really sick. I had a cold and a passing migraine. I would also cough but not so much. At first, the doctor said I had acute bronchitis. He then gave me a couple of drugs to take and I went home. In the next couple of days, however, I lost my sense of smell. I went for a follow up on the previous diagnosis and the doctor said I had Anosmia. More drugs followed and sleeping in, because I was experiencing general body weakness.
I would walk around the house sniffing all sorts of things like Kaluma, cologne and dhania just to confirm if truly, my sense of smell was gone. It is because I was bored in the house from sleeping in all day and tired of carrying around a nose that was only joyriding on my face that I went to test for Covid.
The results came back positive. (He sends me an AMREF certificate which confirms that he is indeed positive.) It was early in the morning on Sunday and I was playing FIFA when the call came in. It was a new number and when I picked it up, a man with a grumpy voice conveyed the news. My first instinct was to laugh. It wasn’t like there’s anything else I could do really. I still have eight more days to isolate then take another test but I am beginning to feel so much better now. I can still feel it on my throat though.”
The actual word he used was that he has a ‘kakirusi’ on his throat. I asked if the ‘kakirusi’ is like wheezing. He said it’s sore like there’s a war between the virus and the lining cells around his throat.
“Isolation isn’t an option; stigmatization due to Covid is though. I am against stigma. I would want people to know that this condition is not a death sentence. And that it isn’t time to put the masks down yet. The fight is not over.
Comorbidity cases are highly risky. I would advise people with primary conditions to take extra care. I don’t allow anyone to visit me unless they are delivering stuff.” This is how my shopping is delivered- read his caption when he sent a picture of a manila shopping bag filled with goodies left outside a clear glass door.
He currently isolates in his home in Kitui. It is the longest he has ever been indoors because his Job Description requires him to travel a lot. He misses stepping outside and playing PS4 with his boys while talking about the mamas in their lives. Rather, not in their lives.
READ ALSO: CHIMPANZEE.
He says though that he is having the time of his life alone and at the same time, discovering new parts of himself. Not only is his moustache finally growing, but also is his threshold for pain. And his will to remain positive even when the waves continue to rock his boat.
I thought it was so bold of Mark Brian to do this. He is walking the journey so graciously, without fear or panic and he believes that he will emerge out of this stronger. (Hide your girls). I think he is as brave as DP Ruto.
While we were prepping for this story, he sent me screenshots of a chat he had with a friend of his with censored messages. But he highlighted them whenever he sent replies so I could still see beneath the censor. I sent him a text saying; you really don’t know how to mask stuff, now do you? Then I accompanied it with a dark moon emoji. Because I am Bor.
Turns out it wasn’t him who masked the conversation in the first place. It was his friend while he posted the chat on his status. Quite a bummer, right? I intended to ask him to remind his friend to wear his mask right, but then it came to my attention that the joke had overstayed it’s welcome.
“People don’t believe me when I tell them that I am positive. Others get outrightly shocked because of saying it without fear. My mum along with workmates and friends have been sending me sticky notes and voice notes with all kinds of lovely messages and I am grateful because these have greatly helped with my mental wellness.”
I preferred to conduct the interview through texts, not because I thought the virus can be remotely spread, but because I was tired of getting scanty comments about my voice. Some call it a whiskey voice. Some call it bass. I think people should mind their business.
The rules haven’t really changed. Sanitize, wear your mask and keep safe. Lifebuoy says that letter ‘H’ in the alphabet now stands for handwashing.
Cheers.
Even COVID 19 can’t take away your sense of humor