Wow, can you believe it? It has been a whole year since the coronavirus became a global wide pandemic. 

With that being said, it is like the virus has become a normal part of our lives. I must say that I know the virus is happening and I know it is dangerous but sometimes I just forget it is going on. 

The virus is a part of my life and when I see others wearing a mask and all these stickers and wipes and hand sanitizer, it is all completely normal for me. But when someone comes to visit I can understand how they would wonder what the heck is going on.

The virus was first discovered in China on December 31, 2019. 

Many people did not take much notice when the coronavirus was happening back in 2020 and neither did I, mostly because it was not happening near or where I lived. 

But when the virus began to spread worldwide, people started to take it more seriously, including me. 

Soon after the virus became known as a worldwide pandemic many of our families and loved ones died and that is not at all a joke to make fun of. 

My mother and I were two unlucky people who caught the virus and it was not fun. I was worried for myself but mostly my mother. We were very lucky to recover from the virus. 

That is what this story is going to be about: a tribute to the loved ones who have fallen due to this horrible and scary virus that has been happening for one full year now. Wow that is crazy. 

Sam Lopez is a senior here at Agua Fria High School who has lost loved ones due to the virus. She remembers the things she used to be able to do freely before the pandemic. 

“Dancing at family parties is my favorite memory,” Sam said. “It’s the best memory because it was before we had to wear masks and we weren’t even worried about being too close when dancing. Everything was so carefree.” 

I agree with this statement. I remembered when I had my 8th grade graduation, everything was so fun and free. I had people hugging me, one after the next, and now you can’t even hug your own family. It is very sad to me. 

“It makes me sad to think that it could have possibly been prevented,” Sam said. “Having my dad sick from it worried me a lot. I’m super grateful he was able to make it through it.”

This statement that Sam said speaks out to me the most because I can connect to this paragraph the most. My mom and I both got Covid-19 and I was scared but I never would have thought that things could have gotten as bad as they did. My mom had to be in the hospital for a few nights and I couldn’t sleep because all I did was wonder if she was going to be ok. 

As for me I had a hard time breathing and going up and down the stairs I was scared because that was my first time getting Covid-19 so all I could do was think that my mom and I were going to be ok. Thankfully we both recovered. 

One thing that Sam said she was worried about is the mask mandate, as the Arizona state government decided to lift it but she says that the vaccine gives her hope. 

I am worried that the cases would go up because there are no more masks in public. I felt like after that was said in people’s minds there is no more virus. I am more than sure if I went to the store there would be no masks and that could get you to believe that the virus was over but it is very well not. 

Moving on a message for loved ones, Sam said this to her loved ones. “I would tell them that I love them and even though we’re supposed to stay contactless, I think I’d hug them too just one last time,” she said. 

This paragraph gets to me because I would more than likely do the same thing to my loved ones if I could just spend one last day with them. I would tell them everything going on with me, hug them and ask them to tell me what is going on with them or how they fell after passing to the virus. 

And lastly Sam talks about a message to all of us about what we should know about Covid-19.

“I think I’d want to tell others to be patient with guidelines and please follow them even if there is a vaccine,” she said. “It’s definitely real and just because you haven’t caught it doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous to other people.” 

I agree 100 percent agree with what Sam said. When I first heard of Covid-19 I paid no attention to it mostly because it did not affect where I lived. I know that sounds bad. But now that it affects where I live, I took some interest in it. But the thing that broke me was having Covid-19 myself. Now I do not play around when it comes to Covid. 

Moving on to Makayla Kennedy, a junior and member of the OwlFeed, who had this to say about her favorite memory. “My favorite memory is a trip I took with my family for my uncle’s wedding,” Makayla said. “It is my favorite memory because it was a girls trip to Delaware and it was my first time on a plane.” 

That is a cool memory because not only do you have the trip but you also have memories of a family member getting married. That is a cool memory to remember. 

Then she talked about how she felt about losing a loved one due to the virus. “It is sad and hard because so many things could have happened but it didn’t and it is also sad because I could not go to any of their funerals because of Covid, so the last memory I have was from a year ago.” 

I can only say to all of those who have lost someone due to this virus that I am sorry. It is not fair to lose a loved one, especially because no one ever thought they would lose a loved one due to this world wide pandemic. I also agree with how she said that there could have been things taken care of to prevent that from happening like staying home or wearing a mask and much more but none of that happened, which is very sad. 

Then something that I thought was good was to just say how we are dealing with this virus especially since it has been one year since the virus happened and one year since we have lost our loved ones. “I am managing and trying to get an appointment set up so I can get vaccinated,” Makayla said. “Things are better than before but not 100 percent great either.” 

First off I hope she can get vaccines soon and I also agree with Makayla about how she is doing. I am also doing well but also not because I still have to sanitize all my belongings when I come back from the store. And wearing a mask for a full day almost everyday can be very stressful. 

And then Makayla’s message to her loved ones was simple but from the heart. “I would thank them for everything. My mom was super close [to them] so it was the hardest on her, but I would tell them I love them and that they are pretty cool.” 

So as you can see this virus has caused a lot of hurt but we always have those memories and we can dream about the loved ones that we have lost due to the virus. That is something that this virus can never take away from us. 

And last Makayla wrote a message for all of us to read and to help the cases go down hopefully. “I would tell everyone to wear a mask and I know a lot of people thought it was the flu and that it would go away in a week,” she said. “And then I would also tell them to take it more seriously.” 

Then we have a teacher who has also been able to give her opinion on the matter. 

“The best memory that I’ve had with my loved ones before COVID-19 happened was the holiday season with everyone present and able to celebrate,” said Mrs. Kelly, AFHS English teacher. 

Then moving on, we talked about if she had ever lost a loved one to this virus. 

“Fortunately, I did not lose any loved ones to the virus,” she said. 

I am very happy that Mrs. Kelly still has her family and has not lost any of them to this virus. 

Then we talked about how we felt about being protected due to this virus. “I’ve been vaccinated with both rounds, so I feel safe and protected!” she said. 

I think this quote is interesting because if it was me I would have probably been more unprotected if I was to get the vaccine so interesting to see how this sentence played out. 

I am very concerned about getting the vaccine and if I really want to so this was a good sentence to see. 

Then we talked about what we would want to say to loved ones.  “I would be sure to show them how grateful I am that they were a part of my life, let them know of the things that they taught me that I will take with me throughout my life, and enjoy our memories that we had together,” she said. 

Then to wrap things up we talked about what she wants everyone to know about COVID-19. 

“If I were to tell others something to know about COVID-19, stay safe and healthy!” 

I totally agree with Mrs. Kelly. We need to stay safe and healthy at this time. We must follow the rules and think about the others who have lost someone special and we need to do the right things to stop COVID-19 from ever happening again! 

Photo Credit:Official  U.S. Navy Imagery