Our COVID-19 Summer as a High-Risk Family

By Laura Spiegel

Tasting watermelon. Racing through the sprinkler. The triumphant cheer of “Ready or not, here I come.” For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, my kids are experiencing the sights and sounds of summer with a few neighborhood playmates. As I watch from the kitchen window, my stomach is in knots, but my heart is full.

This is not a decision my husband and I have taken lightly. We parents of children with special medical needs are accustomed to absorbing information, weighing risks, and making difficult decisions. No two families are alike, and as with anything, what works for my family will not work for all.

But after weeks of “Should we?” “Could we?” and “What if?” my husband and I are taking our first hesitant steps toward reuniting our children, one of whom lives with cystic fibrosis, with fresh air and friendship. And the physical and emotional benefits they bring.

Our daughter played a backyard soccer game and worked her lungs harder than she had since February.

Our son swung beside his best friend, sports stats and YouTube discoveries tumbling from his lips like a waterfall.

Two little girls crouched on the front porch and watched ants march by. This simple act restored a friendship that had previously been limited to colorful notes and the occasional traded treasure.

Our kids have gotten off the couch, away from the video games, and back into the sunshine.

But that doesn’t mean we’ve given up on safety.

Our kids are playing outside with a handful of friends whose families we know well. We are continuing to social distance from adults. We still have the luxury of working from home. We haven’t entered a store since early March and don’t plan to anytime soon.

I still cringe at the thought of taking my daughter to the children’s hospital for her pulmonary and GI checkups later this month. But I trust our physicians and hospital leadership when they say that their infection control policies are strong and that these appointments are needed for our daughter’s preventive care.

Life is by no means back to normal for my family. But by letting my guard down in this one area, my kids are getting the exercise they’ve missed and filling emotional voids that have been building for months.

I don’t know what school will look like in the fall. I follow our state’s virus stats routinely, but I can’t predict what the future will hold for first wave spikes, second waves, or anything for that matter.

I do know that if the smiles on my kids’ faces as they run into the hot June night are any indication, this plan is working for my family.

And that is good enough for now.

As parents of kids with special health care needs, we are accustomed to absorbing information, weighing risks, and making difficult decisions. Your family may have more restrictions than mine, or perhaps fewer. As with anything, trust in your instincts and in the guidance of your healthcare team. And know that you’ve got a mama right here who is rooting for you.