Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Hi, my name is GetInTheBoat. I’m reaching out to share my book Get In The Boat—a raw memoir I wrote to keep a promise to my father, and to offer a story most of us aren’t prepared for until it’s already happening.

My dad was a pastor. My mom had dementia. And during COVID, they were sealed in their home with no help—just the two of them, and the slow fading of everything they once knew. He bathed her. He fed her. He prayed over her even when she forgot who he was.

“This isn’t just a memoir,” I write. “It’s a prayer screamed into the silence.”

I didn’t write this to be polished or pretty. I wrote it because I watched a man live out a vow when love no longer looked like date nights or easy affection. I watched him stay when staying cost everything.

We live in a world that romanticizes instant connection and easy exits. But what does it mean to love when it's hard? When there’s no rescue? When no one is clapping for you?

I think readers—especially women navigating love, faith, family, and identity—would resonate deeply with this story.

Get In The Boat is honest, painful, and maybe even healing for anyone who’s ever wondered: What happens when the vow you made gets tested in silence?

#MightyTogether

After reading Lotuses comment this morning, It made me go back in time to my memories as well as experiences. Lotus, you do have talent in what your doing. Your writing brings out your emotional side which is great. And you question whether it will bring on fame. What I’ve learned is fame comes with a lot of baggage and stress. Your only as good as your last song , or in acting your only as good as your last Movie you starred in. It’s constant work, a different city every day. My first brother in law was the Bass Player for a headlining A list band, a good friend I went to school with was a lead guitarist for a A list band. Both are now playing the club scenes as age, a hard party life, and life on the road will take its toll on you. The Covid era took a lot of up and coming artist out of the music industry as many were forced to sell all their gear just to eat. I never had the inspiration to want any of that. The biggest crowd I’ve played for was about 5,000 people in my younger days. Some have asked “ were you nervous?” The truth is between all the lights and heads you honestly can’t focuse on any faces lol. Smaller more intimate playing you can. Just don’t hit the wrong chord as it’s more noticeable then lol. I’ve got a good friend who is a excellent guitarist and keys player and we’ve been considering what they call “ Busking” in the UK . Here it’s harder due to all the local ordinances. But we wouldn’t be playing for the money but for the love of music. There’s a old saying that if you’ve earned more money then what you spent on your equipment, then your a success. In that case I’m not lol. Look through you tube videos and see how many extremely talented musicians there are out there. And always remember, there’s a high price to pay for fame and fortune……David

I never thought I would have to miss my personal internal thoughts and observations no longer being private, but I do. I wonder if this is okay now, what's next? If it's okay, then what will we undergo next? This is a way of release of personal frustration.

Hi, my name is Paige61.
I’ve had major depressive disorder (MDD) since age 15 and anxiety issues since around 30. Until the past couple of years, I had not had a depressive episode since 2006 when I received successful day treatment at Mclean Hospital. I’m here because I’m struggling and nobody gets it. My one friend (friend since birth) who mostly got it & who would always listen, when/if I could get the words out, died unexpectedly a few weeks ago. The grief from that & major MAJOR losses the year before, have left me depleted. Numb. Lost. Overwhelmed. Wondering how to keep putting one foot in front of the other. And since COVID, I have become permanently disabled with physical issues, which just turns the depression up along with chronic pain & chronic fatigue. Okay, I’ve spilled it. Can anyone else relate?

Hi everyone, hoping to hear your thoughts on this: I have been experiencing a long list of debilitating symptoms since getting COVID 2-3 years ago and have since been having trouble having a doctor take me seriously when I mention I suspect it is connected to long COVID/ CFS. How did you get help from doctors to get a proper diagnosis and treatment? Thanks in advance :)

Trying to process multiple near death experiences Illness almost killed me several times this past year #PTSD #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #AutismSpectrumDisorder #COVID19 #Pneumonia #AspergersSyndrome #MentalHealth

Been trying to prevent the er with communicating with my docs and being assertive. Even when admitted into the hospital I was being assertive with them. With the lack of availability of staff and budget cuts it has been hard trying to get home health covered by my insurance. I can’t afford private pay. I have been disabled for a long time. I only get Medicaid and SSI because my disabilities happened at age 23 not before age 22 and I haven’t worked enough prior to qualify. I was working prior to Covid. I got a lot worse since then but I’m still trying to finish my bachelors degree so I can work again. I need help at home with everything right now. When I was getting discharged and finally able to get dressed I hurt myself in the bathroom. I still need help with everything and am just almost as bad as I was coming into the er.
I reached out to my brothers saying dad and I are very stressed and need help. He can’t keep up with everything around the house ontop of taking care of me 24:7 with everything. It’s very overwhelming and fustrating handling this all by ourselves.
They told me I should went to rehab facility and demanded it and I need to move out. I told them I have been trying to get help before it got this bad. I get passed around. Even my docs and the social workers couldn’t find anywhere to go or have home health come in. Their is no other options.
They told me to hang in there and will call me tomorrow when have a chance. My anxiety is through the roof. No one has been listening that things are very bad bc I can’t get help. I need help right now. I don’t want to keep going back to the er. I’m doing everything I can to not crack. I have been pro active assertive and persistent. Things haven’t gotten better. They’ve gotten worse. I’m trying not to sink. I just keep treading water not moving forward. I’m exhausted physically mentally and emotionally. Nothing is working. I’m not a major priority when I should be.
Even in the er I had true serious emergency and didn’t get attended to fast enough when the er wasn’t even super busy nor had life or death situations that every second counts comes in. What not being able to move nor being able to not have bladder and bowel control with that much pain doesn’t count as an emergency when I was able to walk and even pee that morning? Having ptsd flashbacks with this all doesn’t help either. I’ve literally been screaming for help demanding it and not getting it. Our healthcare system is getting worse instead of better.
Government services for people who need them are getting taken away or changing their qualifications for people not to receive it who desperately need it. I’m scared for what America is turning into and will become in my future. Will I even be able to survive down the road? I should have accessible healthcare that’s affordable for all my chronic conditions but I don’t. Things literally changed overnight for me 15 years ago and slowly got worse. Before then I was a very healthy 23 year old. I’m now 38 years old needing the most care I have ever needed in my life and not getting it. I have lost friends over the years due to my health. Don’t want to lose my family as well.
I don’t see any light at the end of this tunnel anymore. I don’t want to be in a nursing home for the rest of my life with not getting proper care there due to lack of staff. It happens every day bc not enough help and staff don’t want to do something that’s not their job. What happened to people being decent kind caring and hardworking wanting to help others? #CheckInWithMe #MentalHealth #IfYouFeelHopeless #Anxiety #Undiagnosed #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #Depression #FamilyAndFriends #Trauma