Don’t hoard medical necessities like hydroxychloroquine
Hey, you hoarders out there! You know who you are! Down in the deep recesses of your basement or the dark closet of your unused extra bedroom, there are stacks and stacks of toilet paper, hand sanitizers, wet wipes, Spam, etc. I implore you: Leave my hydroxychloroquine (also known as plaquenil) alone. Please, please, don’t hoard it!
Years ago, I was diagnosed with a lupus condition (an autoimmune disease) and almost died. It causes inflammation, swelling and damage to joints, lungs, kidneys and the heart. What saved my life — so that I could help my wife raise two children into adulthood — was this drug. For the last 25 years, at the direction of a rheumatologist, I take the medicine daily to keep my lupus in remission.
There are many of us out there with this condition, a whole bunch of people a lot worse than I am, that require larger doses of hydroxychloroquine daily. Without it, or the dosages needed, their lives will be put in jeopardy. We don’t know yet whether this is the “miracle drug” that will stave off COVID-19, but my trust is in Dr. Anthony Fauci. He’s the one with the medical degree and over 50 years of experience at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. I’ll heed his advice, and no one else.
So, if hoarding something makes one feel like they are in control, go back to toilet paper. No one died because they didn’t have toilet paper.
William Ross, Aurora
Giving blood is easy, and itap truly needed right now
If you are looking for a legitimate excuse to get out of the house, and you’re feeling corona-free, head for the nearest blood bank.
I’m in my 70s, and the thought of dropping a pint of blood had always made me uneasy, but after searching for volunteer opportunities and being gently but repeatedly told that my age made me a less-than-ideal candidate, I decided to give blood donation a shot.
Googling “blood banks near me,” I found Vitalant, the new iteration of the Bonfils organization, and made an appointment at their Lowery location. The whole process took about an hour.
Everyone I dealt with was friendly, helpful and competent. The facility is set up for proper hygienic separation, and the beds are disinfected after every use. A couple of pin pricks and 10 minutes of squeezing a rubber ball, and I was done.
Afterward, I was served chips and cookies in the canteen, making Vitalant the only place in the state where you can actually dine in.
My queasiness never materialized, and I felt, and still feel, great. The waiting period before my next donation is eight weeks, and if the virus (or cabin fever) doesn’t get me, I’ll be back.
Only about 10% of those eligible to donate blood actually do so, and the need is most profound right now. Itap seriously easy. Please consider giving it a try. You will feel good afterward.
George Zepernick, Denver
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