As a cancer survivor, I’ve already practiced for a 14-day quarantine | Opinion

At 55, it’s hard to admit that I’m considered “medically fragile.”

I’ve always lived life more like Wonder Woman than a bystander. Anyone who knows me would say that I never sit still. My therapy after beating cancer has been to literally seize the day – take in each moment as if it might be the last. But this COVID-19 quarantine is a real eye opener to my ego. And not a happy realization.

I can make the list of what I need to stay at home and practice social distancing but I’m unable to simply go to the grocery store to prepare – too many possible COVID-19 germs to meet my compromised immune system.

That feeling reminded me of when I was first diagnosed with FAP colorectal cancer in 2011. I had my port implanted a few days after my diagnosis. The next day, I flew to Disney for my eldest daughter’s senior trip with our family and a couple of her friends. This was a long-awaited and planned trip and I was not about to miss it. On that trip, there was a lot of hand washing, hand sanitizer, and events I didn’t participate in for fear of catching a cold. My surgeon had coached me on safety methods.

In a sense, I’ve already practiced for a 14-day quarantine. When I had just started chemo and radiation and my immune system was nonexistent, my health was fragile and I was susceptible to all sorts of germs. Therefore, I needed to limit my exposure to others who might be sick. It was extremely difficult for me to accept help from friends, and I felt vulnerable. During my treatments, I felt exhausted and wanted to do not much more than walk my dog, Charlie, alone. I eventually had to hand that over to a dear friend. The big difference then was that friends could make us meals and pick my girls up from after-school sporting events. This time around, the onus is on each of us to do our part to distance ourselves from others and flatten the curve.

Almost eight cancer-free years later, I feel pretty good. Yes, I’m still taking oral chemo (three years in July) in an effort to shrink the desmoid tumors in my mesentery (the membrane that attaches the intestine to the abdominal wall) and GI tract – but I’m otherwise healthy. Healthy, yet considered at high risk for COVID-19. Even at home, I’m washing my hands. On a cool but delightfully sunny day this week, I worked alongside my daughter and husband for hours in our garden, getting it ready for a facelift. It was refreshing to be out in the dirt and sunshine. But when I came into the house, scrub, scrub, scrub! People should be hoarding hand lotion — the heck with toilet paper.

I am taking this quarantine seriously because it also could affect my treatment. Once a month, I head to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania for treatment for a recurring infection. I count on this treatment to make living my life a little less painful. Unfortunately, this treatment is not considered life-sustaining, which means my monthly appointment has been postponed so the hospital can redirect its resources to treating patients with COVID-19 and others with more serious conditions. I understand this. But it means I live with more pain indefinitely. I’m not the only person in this situation.

Luckily, my nature is a positive one. I refuse to let negativity rule my world. My therapy to get through this quarantine? Walking – it makes my heart happy when I see so many neighbors out walking. We keep our social distance, wave hello and exchange a few brief words. Working in my gardens – no germs there, just worms! On rainy days, online exercise programs from my favorite trainer at our local YMCA. This experience can be a good one: Organize a room, or your house; play some card games or teach someone a new game; catch up on all those shows you’ve been meaning to Netflix binge – just don’t do it every day!

Coronavirus may have stealthily sneaked up on the world and made its voice heard loud and clear, but we don’t have to take this quarantine sitting down. We can take control, we can survive a quarantine, and together, each doing our part, we can flatten the curve and kick COVID-19 to the curb.

Denise Teter lives in Kimberton, Pa., with her husband and their daughters. Contacted her at deniseteter5@gmail.com.