John,
I am a team member at Fight for the Future. I have written to you in the past, asking you to sign an important petition or donate to a worthy cause. But today I am writing to tell you about my experience battling COVID-19, and the challenges I faced from neighbors and community members that were every bit as challenging as my fight against this disease.
Read my full story here.
When I was infected with COVID-19, I felt like I had rubber bands wrapped tightly around each lung. Each breath took all my body’s strength just to push through the resistance in my chest and fill my body with air. This struggle to breathe filled me with uncertainty. Would I have enough strength for the next breath? Would those invisible rubber bands finally squeeze all the air out of me? Each breath felt like it might be my last.
Might.
I experienced a fever and endless sweats, crippling coughing fits, and an exhaustion that permeated my bones. I was isolated from my friends and family, trying to fend for myself while suffering from serious symptoms. Eventually, my symptoms became so bad that I was forced to seek medical treatment at a hospital.
Everything about my battle with COVID-19 was scary. But the scariest part of my experience happened when I returned home from the hospital and was forced to confront the fear and anger of people within my community.
I urge you to read my full story so you can understand why defending privacy, human rights, and civil liberties is essential as we fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
I am still recovering from my battle with COVID-19 as I write this email to you today. Please take COVID-19 seriously. Do everything you can to protect yourself and the people you care about from this dangerous disease. But make sure that you protect yourself and the people you care about from other threats we are all facing right now, like the expansion of dangerous facial recognition technology or criminalizing those suffering from this disease.
I’ve chosen to write my account anonymously because my experience battling COVID-19 showed me how much my safety — and yours — could be endangered if victims of this disease are feared and punished instead of treated and helped. We are all entitled to rights, and those rights are essential to keep us all safe from spreading the coronavirus to others.
Together,
A team member at Fight for the Future
PS — If you would like to help me and the rest of the team fight for basic human rights during the COVID-19 pandemic, please consider making a donation at www.fightforthefuture.org/donate. Any donation is appreciated.
Fight for the Future works to protect your rights in the digital age.
