Please... Just Wear A Mask

I realize that this request is a bit controversial these days. I know it isn't something that us as Americans are used to. I also know that any time our government creates a law that affects our personal choice, Americans turn into petulant little children and cry out about their personal freedoms. 

There are arguments on whether or not masks actually do anything to protect the person wearing one from Covid-19. The news and statements on it are so confusing and you can find a published article to prove your point whatever side you are on. I understand how uncomfortable they are. They make breathing harder and you just can't wait to take a deep breath of clean fresh air. I get it. I feel for the people having to wear them all day at work. I also greatly appreciate them beyond words. 

I am here to share what your wearing a mask also does. I am immunocompromised. My white blood cell count is below the lowest part of the low spectrum. I finished chemo 6 months ago. The chemo that was given to me wiped out my white blood cells. Really it wipes out so much more than that, but what's important right now is the fact that it cleared out my white blood cells. White blood cells are your body's armor. They are what fight illness, virus and disease. There is a study out right now stating that a large percent of people diagnosed with Covid-19 had a low white blood cell count. My body for the last year has fought and worked over time to Live in so many ways. It fought for me to clear the cancerous tumor, it fought for me to survive chemo, and now it fights for me to rebuild. So, when I go out into public (which I sometimes have to) I am a ball of emotions. There is a lot of fear. When you know what it is like to be so sick that you are literally fighting, the thought of a looming virus can paralyze you with fear. I know a handful of people who have navigated cancer, that are paralyzed with fear over Covid-19. They don't leave the house. Anyhow, back to me. There are times that I have to go into public. You may not care or have any fear over Covid. That's great for you. Lucky you. Your refusal to wear a mask creates anxiety within me while I am out. Your refusal to wear a mask scares me. Your refusal to wear a mask pisses me off and I look at you like the selfish person that you are. That's what your refusal to wear a mask really is: selfish. I don't know where you've been, but I can only guess that your ease of walking around in public without a mask means that you haven't been taking quarantine or this virus very seriously. Which only makes me even more tense. I understand that there are so many things being said about Covid. Trust me, I've read it all. I even believe that it has been over inflated. However, it doesn't make it less real. So, wearing a mask helps me to walk around a store a little easier. I avoid the busy aisles and make my way back to them when they have cleared out. I walk around people on the sidewalk. I do all of the things I can to stay distanced while I am out in public. Your wearing a mask though, makes me feel a little less vulnerable. You may not care. You may not believe in Covid. You may even feel that you'll be fine in you do come down with it. But PLEASE. I beg you. Please wear a mask for those of us that may not look sick, but are very much immunocompromised or higher risk. It allows us to have a little less fear being out right now. Please, just wear a mask. You never know who you are helping.