The CoronaCoaster

Get us off this ride!!

Coronavirus, Covid-19, the Rona, whatever you call it, wherever you live, the global pandemic that started in 2019 still trudges on along with all the worries, fears and concerns that comes with it.  What does a virus actually mean? What is an Epidemiologist? What have we learned and how can we move forward? 

With help from A Kids Book About Covid-19, written by Social Epidemiologist, Malia Jones - Cyla and Rachael explore these answers together. Sharing their own personal experiences and how the virus and the pandemic has affected their family. Tune in.

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Massive thanks to the awesome friends that lent their voices to our vision at the top of each episode.  Kelley Buttrick, Jill Perry, Nicole & Lila Britton, Trevor Johns, Caroline Slaughter, Tiffany Morgan, Cassie & Sabrina Glow ++ Jason Shablik & Van Gunter for their audio genius - we adore you all! 

For more information on the show, questions, comments, to share good vibes happening in your world or to request Cyla or Rachael as the Voice for your next message - drop us a line at hello@shesoundslikeme.com or share your voice with us and leave us a message at (678) 653-4110. 

For additional samples of our voice over work and more at www.layahoffman.com and www.cylagrace.com. 

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In Gratitude,

Rachael Laya & Cyla Grace Hoffman

Transcription:
[1:01] Hi mom. Hi, say hello, how are you today? Good, good. Me too. Ready to talk Yeah, talk about the corona coaster of life.

[1:11] This is an interesting topic to be talking about on valentine's Day. Recording this on valentine's Day.
You might not hear it on valentine's Day.
No, so we'll share the love. Happy valentine's Day, Everybody a happy valentine's day or happy, late valentine's Day.

[1:30] We're happy october whenever you're listening to this. Yeah, happy then.

[1:38] Happy birthday to some people. But today's topic isn't that happy?
No, it's uh we're going to talk about the corona coaster of life, coronavirus and the, and the ride that I want to get off badly.
Oh yeah, we all do, we want it to shut down.

[1:59] It shut us all down. It's kind of crazy that we're even having this conversation. Um two years almost to Yeah, to to the month.
Because if um, you know, we're really talking about how things have progressed.
The coronavirus COVID-19 came to be in our region of the country of the world.
It was March of 2019, which is crazy because that's actually where COVID-19 got its name in the year,
2019. Right. It's an interesting fact.

[2:36] We're going to talk about it a little bit today because it's hit home pretty hard in the last few months, yep, you had it and then your dad got it and then my dad has it now.
Yeah, I might have had it somewhere in this process, but I haven't had any symptoms other than having minor stomachaches, which is gluten, gluten, that's my stomach telling me to stop eating gluten,
and I am not listening, I should be, but I'm not and we're not talking about that.
So let's get back to the topic. Covid 19. Yeah. Uh huh. Yeah.

[3:16] And it hasn't affected us all so differently.
Um whether you've even, you know, gotten the virus or not or you've seen someone or know someone that has Yeah.
The effects of just living through a pandemic is an an an emotional um mental Journey that we're all on together. But it affects us all differently.
One day, this is going to be like the flu and we're going to be us, kids are going to be telling our grandchildren or our Children that we were 789, 10 when this happened when the world didn't really know how to respond, but we did the best we could.

[3:56] This isn't actually the first time this has happened when influenza short for flu Came around in the early 1900s.
It took out a lot of people before. Modern medicine and knowledge and science really was able to be a widespread resource for folks.
So, you know, we're handling it differently with resources. We have, but it's kind of not anything new for our world and yet totally new at the same time.

[4:28] Yeah. And bizarre, thankfully, we've have,
incredible resources in this country and a lot of polarizing views, depending on where you live and what news source you subscribe to and what your belief system is and for us, you know.

[4:46] We've learned a lot and that's changed over the last couple of years.
So it's hard to understand um what it's all about and a lot of people think this might be the worst thing that has ever happened to them in their whole, entire life and it's never gonna end.
And we've got nothing good out of it. But in reality it's a virus, right?
Like nobody likes viruses. You just want them to not exist and not be big problem like this one.
And maybe the flu when it first came around or the cold when they first came around.
And in reality this, the virus has taught us things like respect for other people and what is happening to them.
And it's taught us for some people instead they have nothing to do in their house.
So they learn new things like how to play an instrument or how to draw something or get new talents.
You mean while they're quarantined?

[5:55] Oh, I see. Yeah, that's an interesting perspective. Maybe it's even reminded us,
to be more mindful of cleanliness and,
you know wash hands and cover your mouth and you sneeze and things that we may have been getting a little lax egotistical about because you know, you just forget how important those things are until something like this is pretty widespread.
So maybe it's reminded us of how to be more conscientious of other people.
It was a really good point and it affects everybody across the world differently.
So our experiences here in Atlanta Georgia maybe is totally different from like texas or, or asia or Australia or wherever you may be, listening.

[6:39] So a perspective, you know, here might be very eye opening and interesting or might seem totally crazy to what you're experiencing wherever you live and that's okay, right?
So everyone sees things or reacts to things differently or their circumstance or their lifestyle could be different, you know?
But one thing I have appreciated throughout the whole process is is um is like you said, Zilla realizing the kindness and compassion and people.

[7:09] And I wish more people realized that because.

[7:13] Unfortunately at least with a lot of grown ups, the coronavirus and COVID-19 has created a divide in a lot of people and it's really sad?
You know, it kind of has encouraged a bit of the polarization meaning just real big differences of opinions.
You're either a team vaccination or your team not or your team mask or your team not or your team, you know, consideration of other people or every man for themselves.
And really that's the not so great side of this.

[7:50] I wish that more grown ups in this world would be of more of the United, compassionate and working from love and kindness.
Yes. Loving kindness be kind on valentine's day people.
It's Covid I know, but it's valentine's day.
Maybe not where you are, but it's be kind today.
Please could every day be like valentine's day because because I want candy, I want kindness. Yes.
Well today we have an exciting resource and we mentioned them all the time because we're huge fans.
But as a grown up that struggles with how to explain this type of stuff because Gosh knows it's hard to understand it as it is, you know, here in the States, we have resources like the news or the CDC.

[8:45] That provides us with information or the World Health Organization with which many people lean to all over the world as the pinnacle of resources for science and and infectious diseases.
They can kind of help guide our ideas about how to stay safe and protect ourselves and our families.
But how do you explain that to a kid? Can be very confusing. Yeah.
And we want to be careful not to instill more fear because have you ever felt scared in this process during the pandemic?
Oh yeah, tell me about that. I felt really scared and like all of us did when it started and us Children,
I felt even more scared because we were confused and our parents were confused.
And if our parents were confused, what do we know?
It's scary because you as kids, you don't understand.
So like you don't understand what's on the news and then you try to explain it to.

[9:48] Me and I don't get it. And you say like this is called a virus and be scared of it.
And then you get more confused because you have more questions and then you can't answer your questions because no one knows the answer to your questions and then it's just a cycle.
Yeah and it never ends and you get more scared and cooped up and like and then the regulations keep changing at least in our areas it was like you know, quarantine or isolate for 10 days if you come into contact with someone.
And now those those restrictions have lessened. Now it's only five days.
We had a mask mandate for a long time in our area and now the mask mandate is gone.
But yet a lot of people we know are still getting sick and so you know wear a mask, don't wear a mask, wear a mask at school, don't wear a mask, okay. You know.
And so it it must feel very, very overwhelming for kids. It's very overwhelming for us grown ups.

[10:45] So back to what I was saying, we have an awesome resource with our friends, kids book about,
company that provides big ideas in bite sized nuggets and in great print publications that kids and grownups alike can understand.
Yeah, yeah. And there's of course one specifically about Covid 19 this book is by Malia jones and we found it to be incredibly helpful.
She's uh what she called a science an epidemiologist not to be confused with a friendly hippopotamus, that's right and that's exactly what she says.
So an epidemiologist is she is a social epidemiologist.
That means she's a scientist who studies how human diseases spread.
So she is a great resource for helping Explain what is COVID-19 and so silent.
You are going to read a couple of excerpts just like you have before on past episodes to help us understand exactly how Malia helps explain what is Covid 19.
Yes. So this book was made when COVID-19 started in 2019 and now it's like 2022.
So we've learned a few things. But I think the facts are the facts that she puts them and make good sense. Right?

[12:13] So some of your schools might be closed, Your sports might be canceled.
And even grownups around you might be a bit scared or confused just like you were talking about.
It's okay to feel scared or confused. Even if you're a grown up, it seems like the entire world is thinking about one thing coronavirus.
So this page, these two pages explain what a virus is.
So Covid 19 is caused by a virus.
The virus is called SARS cov two And the disease it causes is called COVID-19.
But a lot of people just call it Corona virus. A virus is a very tiny thing.
So tiny. You need a microscope to see it.
That tiny virus can get inside your body and make lots and lots of copies of itself.
This can make you sick. You've definitely had a virus before.

[13:12] They cause things like colds and the flu. Coronavirus can cause a fever, cough, stuffy nose fatigue or headache.
Fun fact. It can even make you lose your sense of smell for a few weeks.
That would be maddening. I couldn't smell flowers and your essential oils and incense all over the house.
But it does affect people differently. Thanks for reading that by the way.
It does affect people differently as we've seen in our own house. You know, it was kind of like we've talked about before To us.
COVID-19 felt like the bully that was coming. You never knew if it was it,
was going to come knocking at your door when and if he was gonna punch in the eye or steal your lunch money or really hurt you bad or pull out your heart. Yeah, well.

[14:04] Unfortunately. You know, we've seen it in a lot of different versions, right?
When I got it back in december, it was very, very mild.
You just had like a little headache and you were, yes, I'm like a like a cold almost wouldn't have known it was coronavirus without these at home tests, Right?
But at the time you didn't get it, Dad didn't get it.
And you're still not vaccinated and those are personal choices.
Although you may get vaccinated one day, we're not against vaccines in general. It's just, this hasn't been the right time for us yet.
And so we kind of were thinking like, what's the big deal? There was a lot of why all this fear for this. This is how this has happened.
And it felt very confusing as a parent. That this is how we've been living our life in total fear for two years and unexpectedness.
And then we finally get it. It's not as bad as I anticipated. And then you and dad didn't even get it in our own house.

[15:04] But then we saw a huge pivot When I lost my dad a few weeks ago and we lost him to COVID-19.
He was not vaccinated, but he was a very healthy 72 year old man, built like an ox, hardworking and very healthy for the most part.
But Covid took him down and it took him down in the worst ways with blood clots in his lungs that could not be healed.
So, having your grandfather die of Covid put a totally different, totally different you're right.
A totally different perspective on this thing.
And I went from, man, this is no big deal to you. Oh my gosh! The world is right. We should be scared.
Yeah. I don't know if we should be scared as much as we should be diligent and vigilant, which means just,
careful and cautious and conscientious because you never know who has,
a compromised immune system, which means inside their body is weaker for some people than others or that they have other pre existing conditions that may affect them differently.
Not to mention they may have a blood type or cancer or something else that would make it very asthma, something else that might make it very difficult for their body to recover.
And we're all built differently and we just don't know.

[16:26] And then come home from that and dad get it.

[16:30] It was a whole nother level of fear, right?
And you had it mild, like very mild. Like for a few days you had like a little headache.
Then we had someone who passed away and then dad has another mild version that might be a little more severe than yours but is very similar.

[16:53] And so very, very unexpected and hard to process all that when you see that going around and yet still knock on some sort of wood, you've still tested negative this whole time.
You must have some super immunity, which is just awesome.
I'm a super super hero. You are?
Yes. Let's let's hope it stays like that for like the rest of your life anyway.
So um yeah, just just as a closing note, how do you feel like, you know, the world is going to move forward from a kid's perspective, what does that look like?
The world moving forward in the future? The world is going to be amazing.
But like in the future for Covid, um we're all gonna learn to be more smart and conscientious,
about like washing your hands and being kind to other people and what they're, they might be going through and scientists are going to come up with like, like a medicine, like you have cold medicine,
or cough medicine that might come up with a medicine that might help cure a few of the sicknesses,
that covid causes and the world will just be overall smarter and have more knowledge about this disease so that they can help better.

[18:13] That's a really great perspective and I hope you're right and I think we're on our way and on the flip side like you know, it could always be like it could get worse, but we're hoping it's uh the world becomes smarter.
Yeah, I hope we learn from this because you know, these types of things are going to continue to evolve as the world evolves, this won't be the last pandemic.
You'll you'll see in your life, you know, or in our lives. So I love those takeaways and I hope the rest of these kids around the globe that you know are listening and can help encourage their grownups to do the same.
Yes. And I give some of my super immunity powers to all a few people's Yes.
Way to share the love. Yes. And the super immunity bugs. That is my gift for valentine's day.

[19:04] Beautiful. Alright, take care of yourselves, friends, wash your hands, stay healthy, cough in your elbows.

[19:12] Be kind, think use your noggin. Yeah. And be considerate to others.

[19:19] Yes. So take care of yourself. So yeah. So take care of yourselves and each other. Yes.
Be safe and kind, support each other. Thanks for listening and have an awesome day. Have an awesome day. We'll see you next time. Bye bye Bye.