I’ve been doing this since the days of dial-up and green text screens. I’ve seen tech evolve faster than any of us could’ve imagined. But the one thing that still floors me? How quickly we forget. How easily we let the worst crisis of our lifetime fade into the background noise. I still remember the smell of hospital disinfectant and the way the air felt thick with fear. Most people never did.
The pandemic wasn’t a movie. It wasn’t a headline that faded when the next big thing came along. For the people on the front lines, it was a war. And some of us are still carrying the shrapnel.
Tech Through My Eyes
The Thousand Yard Stare Isn’t Fiction
Back when we had to figure out how to treat something no one understood, the weight on first responders was unlike anything I’ve seen. My family members came home with that look in their eyes — hollow, empty. They saw things no human should have to see. And then there were the deniers, arguing outside the hospital doors that it was all a hoax. It’s like they thought the sheer volume of bodies piling up was just a bad dream.Morgues Full, Staff Crying
I remember hearing about El Paso having to bring in inmates to move bodies. Like a mass casualty event that just… kept happening. Month after month. It wasn’t a fluke. It was the new normal. And then to have people claim it was all made up? It’s insulting. It’s like telling a soldier that the war they fought wasn’t real.The Faces Behind the Masks
I’ve got a story from a code blue that still gives me chills. A patient spits blood onto the faceshield while you’re doing compressions. All you see is red. All you hear is muffled. You can’t wipe it off. You’re trapped in that suit, feeling the recoil of your own hands. That day, after almost a decade sober, my friend reached for a drink. Some things never leave you. Some things shouldn’t.
- Losing Dad in the ICU
In 2022, we were able to be with him. The whole ICU was full of COVID patients. One day, we were delayed because a nurse had just died, and the staff were taking a moment to say goodbye. Heartbreaking. After he was gone, I had to go back to work. Everyone wanted to know how he died — “OF Covid or WITH Covid?” Like there’s a difference. When someone dies of cancer, no one asks those questions. The gaslighting was relentless.
Long COVID: The Silent War
It’s not just the immediate deaths. It’s the people who got micro clots in their toes, the healthy 26-year-olds who can’t stand up without their body fighting them back. My old boss, mid-40s, almost died in 2021. She still has brain fog that’s changed who she is. And my brother? The knucklehead who refused the vaccine? He got clots in his lungs. It’s not a cold. It’s not “just another flu.” It’s a lingering ghost that haunts the body long after the initial fight.Masks: The Last Bastion
I work in a hospital. We never stopped masking. Not one of us has gotten sick. Meanwhile, consultants in the UK refuse to wear them, hostile the whole way. It’s like they forgot how to protect themselves. In dentistry, I’d never dream of going without a mask. It’s basic respect. But somehow, in the middle of a pandemic, that became a political statement.The Numbers Don’t Lie
Yeah, COVID isn’t the third leading cause of death anymore. It’s dropped off the top 10. But ask anyone in a hospital. We’re still seeing people admitted. We’re still under mask rules. The CDC might stop collecting data, but the nurses on the floor? We’re still sending it in. Because the fight isn’t over. It’s just changed shape.The Deniers’ Toll
Social media really is a cancer. It emboldens people to say the most asinine things with zero accountability. They stand outside hospitals, they question your loved one’s death, they call it a hoax. And then, when someone actually dies from it? Silence. It’s like they never said a word. The least we can do is remember the ones who weren’t so lucky.It’s Not Gone. It’s Just Different.
A coworker just passed from COVID last week. Another nurse still struggles with the trauma years later. The pandemic didn’t end when the news cycle moved on. For some of us, it’s a daily reality. A seasonal threat that still demands respect. That still takes lives. That still leaves scars.Heroes in Scrubs
At the end of the day, the people who kept showing up — the nurses, the doctors, the first responders — they’re the real heroes. They didn’t get a parade. They got exhaustion, trauma, and denial. But they kept going. And for that, we owe them everything. Don’t let the memory fade. Don’t let the deniers win.
Some things are worth remembering. Some fights are worth fighting for. And some truths are worth holding onto, even when the world tries to forget.