A new Library of Congress project caught my eye recently. It seems the repositor of all things American-written and something called StoryCorps are creating a website for people to record their experiences during the recent Covid-19 pandemic. I believe the idea is to put together an audio history so that generations to come can hear firsthand just what We the People were feeling and going through beginning in early 2020 and running even up through today. Because I think it would have been fascinating to hear from those who struggled through the Great Flu Epidemic of 1918-1920, this sounds like a worthwhile endeavor.

No doubt many of the stories will be heart-rending. Perfectly healthy people suddenly fighting for their lives and struggling for breath, while their loved ones felt absolutely helpless. Everyone who worked at a healthcare facility, especially in hospitals, became exhausted trying to deal with this unknown virus. Every doctor and nurse and all concerned with patient care could no doubt relate harrowing accounts of non-stop attempts to save lives and heartbreaks when even their best efforts weren’t enough.

Other stories of interest might come from those directly involved in trying to explain to the American public what was going on. Surely someone such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the time who became the face of Covid, should be included in the storytelling. Perhaps even Donald Trump and Joe Biden should sit down in front of a microphone and give their perspectives.

It would be good to get the viewpoints of those who created the vaccines to help combat the virus, as well as those who figured out how to get a mask (or two or three or a hundred) into the hands of the entire populace.

I would hope the Covid audio project would be a “warts and all” record. For example, there was a whole lot of money spent on Covid. I’d like to hear how some of the discussions went with Big Pharma companies and mask-makers about “who’s paying for this.”

Every company from the corner mom-and-pop shops to the biggest behemoths had to figure out how to keep afloat when everyone was encouraged to stay home. Some retail establishments, for example, were able to continue to pay their employees to not show up for work by using skeletal crews to handle buy-online-pick-up-at-store orders. But way too many store owners ended up having to close up, never to reopen. Those stories definitely need to be told.

My own mom’s story might be similar to many. Even though she lived in an assisted living facility where many precautions were in place, Mom got Covid. This was in December 2020, when she was 92 and in otherwise good health. In the opinion of the medical staff at the facility, she suddenly had become a victim of the virus. They suggested to the family that we should come and see her. So, my sisters and I quickly arrived in Ohio, and for about three or four days, we gathered in Mom’s room. She wasn’t very responsive, but she knew we were there. We sang a lot of songs and told a lot of stories. And when we had to leave for the night, the four of us had a great time just being together. Fortunately, the medical staff was wrong about her case being terminal. Mom not only survived, but she was with us for another three years. She still had some great-grandchildren to meet.

While there will be many touching stories told by the new project, I’m thinking there may also be a wag or two that pops up and gives a different slant on the pandemic. For example, one of those workers who got money to NOT come into a company might say, “Hey, I got paid to sit around and play video games all day. Didn’t really like it when I actually had to go back to work Covid was good to me.”

Someone else may take the opportunity to say something pointed such as, “What I’d really like to do is get my hands on one of those Wuhan lab rats. Five minutes alone, that’s all I need.”

Or there could be more than one insensitive person who wants to know, “When are we going to get more of those Covid stimulus checks? I could use the cash.”

It’s an interesting project, to say the least. Covid was like a world war. It touched everyone in some form or fashion. Keeping a record of our experiences might prove very beneficial in dealing with such a debacle if, heaven forfend, it ever happens again.

©MMXXIV. William J. Lewis, III – Freelance Writer