I’m guessing through May... and then hopefully we have had our peak and are heading back down the other side! But that’s for the data crunchers to figure out, and I think it’s hard to predict until we get a little more into the thick of it. What’s your routine of sanitizing when you get home to your family after a hospital shift? I use special wipes for all my equipment before I leave work and wash my hands and arms. When I get home, I leave my bag and jacket in my car (which now just goes to work). I strip to my skivvies on the porch and go immediately to the laundry machine and throw everything in. I wipe off the door handle I used with a Clorox wipe. My shoes stay outside. Then head straight to the shower and into bed! (I work night shift...) Because hospitalized coronavirus patients are isolated from family and friends, their only daily contact is with nurses and doctors. Can you comment on this? It’s horrifying. And when it becomes terminal, we are the last faces they see, and they are seeing us through masks and caps and goggles and gowns. Although honestly, those who die are usually sedated on a ventilator, so they are not aware of much that is going on around them... But in principle, it’s awful. I have been the one holding the hands of many people who have died alone because there are many scenarios in medicine where it’s not an expected outcome, and family just isn’t there. We are comfortable in that role as providers, but it’s still just another thing to add to the suckiness of all of this!
KATLYNN AMENTA has been a hairstylist at La Clinica Salon and Day Spa in Baltimore, MD for 14 years.
On March 17, we temporarily closed our doors due to COVID-19. This has thrown me directly into a stay-at-home mom lifestyle which I am not use to... at all. I went from having a lucrative paycheck to nothing... It’s depressing. I feel very blessed to have my husband. I also feel a HUGE loss of my identity. I LOVE doing hair. I do it because I love it, not because I have to do it. However, I had to give it up to better my community. Although my husband and I did not see this coming, we luckily have a cushion to fall back on. We sacrificed doing cosmetic things to our home in order to make mortgage payments. Also, I have filed for unemployment. If this pandemic extends and I am out of work longer and longer, I plan to live a very “minimalist” lifestyle. I will try to prioritize what my family needs and temporarily say goodbye to our wants. It’s hard to do hair at home when you don’t have access to your supply store. Also, I don’t think it’s safe to bring people in and out of my home and expose my family. After this pandemic, we as a family have a greater appreciation of life... Love nature, love life, love your family and friends... and judge no one. Because you never know where
you will be next week... Just find your happy. Find your content. And just love it!
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April 2020
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