Letter to the editor: Maybe we should stop complaining about tough times

Having been ill with covid-19 for several weeks, I can personally say that it is no joke. It’s no simple flu. I had a fever for eight days, persistent nausea and difficulty breathing. I eventually ended up in the emergency room.

As a practicing physician, I see more covid patients than ever before.

I recently did a house call on a 94-year-old woman. I said to her, “you’ve been on this earth for a century, have you ever seen anything like what we are going through?”

She groaned and replied, “When I was young, we went through the Great Depression. Everyone was hungry, everyone was poor. It lasted 10 years and was immediately followed by a war we really knew little about, World War II.” She then said, “And YOU people have only done this for 6 months.”

I have to admit, I felt embarrassed and ashamed of us as a society. We are unable to endure adversity to any extent. We are unable to see light through the darkness. People complain that they have to wear masks, that it’s a violation of constitutional rights, that can’t go out to eat or see their kid’s soccer games.

I’ve got 200,000 families who have lost loved ones. You can call them if you think any of this is difficult.

Mark Boles, M.D.

Monroeville