By Brenna Riethmiller

I started volunteering with EndCoronavirus (ECV) in March after realizing that I needed to do my part to get my life back to normal. Before COVID19 was considered a global pandemic, I wasn't concerned, and I felt that life would go on as planned. I was going to celebrate a milestone birthday with my friends and family at the end of March. My husband and I had planned a vacation we had been looking forward to and saving for years. After realizing that things were getting worse, particularly in the US, I learned that my plans would have to be put on hold. I felt like 2020 was having to be postponed to an unknown time in the distant future. I don't know when my life will go back to normal as I used to know it.

Knowing all this though, I refuse to believe that is this is my new normal now and just the way life is going to be for a while. I want to visit my family and friends. I want to go out to dinner and a movie with my husband without thinking about our potential exposure to a deadly virus. That's why I wear a mask. That's why I limit my contact with everyone, including the loved ones I miss dearly. That's why I work with ECV to spread the word about the ways we can END COVID19, such as widespread testing, extensive contract tracing, and strict travel restrictions. I won't just accept that is it here to stay and we have to live like this. I want to go back to the normal I knew before the pandemic. I believe it's possible.