Being Immunocompromised During a Global Pandemic (Project 3)
- sierramoore
- Apr 24, 2020
- 4 min read
For a large portion of my research paper (previous post), I discussed how people with chronic conditions (specifically immunodeficiencies) are more likely to battle mental illness. With this project, I wanted to expand on that, since I have some experience with my own condition that plays a factor in my mental health as well. Inspired by that, my research, and additional ‘research’ (you could say) that I collected after interviewing some of my friends with immunodeficiencies, I’m putting this project together, not only as a creative outlet for myself (especially during this time), but also to spread awareness.
Here's the main portion of Project 2 that inspired this one (please look at my previous post for references):
“the situation of individuals with PI and other chronic conditions can present a unique emotional challenge that ‘changes the way they think about themselves’ ...Unfortunately, studies show people with PI ‘report inferior quality of life’ ...are two to three times more likely to suffer from depression ...and deal with psychosocial aspects that more greatly impact their relationships with morbidity and mortality...than the general population. This can create a vicious cycle in the cases of patients with chronic conditions as a bleak worldview ‘risks a downward spiral in which a patient may stop keeping up with treatments or other self-care’ ...which can further worsen their condition--creating an even more dismal outlook on life, and so on.”
Draft 1 – Spotify Playlist
This playlist features songs that have themes of coping with mental or physical illness and recovery. I really tried to curate this playlist to only truly be the songs that I have found to help me over the years when it comes to my own mental health struggles. I was surprised by the amount of songs that fit this subject perfectly, and I didn’t need too much outside research or help from friends, because it was really all right there in my library. I didn’t want to add any songs that I hadn’t listened to or didn’t really like that much. So, this playlist doesn’t only represent my project, but it also acts as a time capsule of different Sierras through high school, trying to figure life out, dealing with my own chronic condition, and going through all sorts of different trials and tribulations. Music has been a very large component of my life, and I was heavily involved in marching and concert band in high school. These songs have shaped me into who I am today.
Draft 2 – Poem
The Butterfly’s Tornado
If the wind
from a butterfly’s wings
can incite God to act,
can the breath
from your whisper
push me into the dark?
With a might like God’s
I dread the day
that a nudge from you
will send my broken body
spinning into the butterfly’s tornado.
This poem makes a reference to the Butterfly Effect. If you aren’t familiar with it, it basically says that the flap from a butterfly’s wings can cause a tornado (an ‘act of God’) on the other side of the world. Essentially, small actions can cause a big chain reaction. For me and my other friends who have depression, some days it’s the smallest of things that can lead to a downward spiral of talking yourself down to the point you question if you’re strong enough to handle the bigger things. I refer to depression as its own entity--the breathy whisper--because that’s kinda what it feels like. It has a mind of its own and doesn’t really feel like a part of me, but rather, a voice I hear whispering to me time and time again, pushing me off-track from my big goals, telling me I’m incapable or worthless. I say that my depression has “a might like God’s” and that I’m scared that one day, I will go flying down that spiral to the point of no return--the “butterfly’s tornado.” While I’ve been on a good streak lately, catching myself talking myself down when I don’t even realize I’m doing it is something I have to work on every day. Especially when I experience flare-ups with my dermatitis, it can be hard to stay hopeful for the future when my physical and emotional pain subsides.
Draft 3 - YouTube Video
For this draft, I interviewed three family friends, two of which have an immunodeficiency, and one who is a family nurse practitioner. I expanded on my findings from Project 2 about the aspects of mental health that are affected when it comes to having chronic conditions, and I expanded the topic into what is going on right now with the COVID-19 outbreak, since this kind of situation directly impacts the immunodeficient community so much. I’ve never really discussed my friends’ conditions in depth, and it was really cool to see how some of their experiences lined up with my research. It was also really interesting gaining some insight from a medical professional (that I greatly admire) about what’s going on in our world today.
What I thought was going to be a short video turned into more of a short documentary. After conducting my Zoom interviews with my friends, there was very little that I wanted to leave out. Despite the length of the video, I found that I was able to watch it without even realizing the time had passed. I think it just goes to show how great our conversations were.
I’m glad I’ve been able to shed some light onto this issue throughout this semester, especially since it’s so relevant to the current outbreak. More awareness is needed in our world when it comes to this subject, as autoimmune illnesses are on the rise and it affects our society more than we would ever realize.
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