SC man's open letter about having this virus.
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COVID-19 survivor speaks out; calls out inadequacies in health care system amid COVID-19

ANDERSON, S.C. —
Chaplain at Christ Church Episcopal School, John Mark Elliott is sharing his eye opening battle against the coronavirus. The 30-year-old is a teacher and cross country coach, and says he rarely if ever gets sick.

“I’ve always been relatively healthy," Elliott said. "I actually haven’t missed a day of work for any kind of sickness since I started at Christ Church. And then, partly due to my mom, K-12 I had perfect attendance ... cause I didn’t really get sick that much.”

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So you can imagine Elliott's shock upon learning he had come down with COVID-19.

These are his words, in a Facebook post that he shared, that quickly went viral.

"Today I tested positive for having COVID-19 antibodies. I was sick for 3 weeks beginning March 16. During those three weeks, I was unable to get tested for the coronavirus and had great difficulty getting access to speak with a doctor online. Despite showing typical COVID-19 symptoms, I was given flu medication in light of the testing scarcity at the time. My symptoms did not subside at all following a week of flu medication, but nonetheless I was still denied access to testing. By the end of the second week, my symptoms evolved into a dry cough and chest tightness. The virus had shifted into my lungs and made breathing a labored task. After a third attempt to receive testing, I was denied access again and was told to simply practice a self-imposed quarantine and proceed with caution as if I had tested positive for the virus.

Today I am officially asymptomatic.

I am sharing my story because I am alarmed by the toll the virus took on my health, and I am shocked by the lack of preparedness and the inadequacy of our healthcare system to address and tackle this pandemic.

I am a healthy 30 year old cross country coach with no past medical issues or underlying health conditions, yet I was sick for more than 20 days and received no medical assistance except for a reach-in-the-dark flu med prescription (I was not administered a flu test.). With God’s grace, I endured three weeks in total isolation. While my body fought the virus, forced solitude did a number to my mental health. It was a rough 3 weeks. All that to say, I can’t imagine the impact this has and is having on people less healthy and with thinner relational support systems. Coronavirus is not just a different brand of flu. This is a virus that must be taken seriously.

I am a white, educated man with ample resources and connections, yet I had incredible difficulty getting in contact with a medical professional and even greater difficulty getting approved for testing. Furthermore, I was unable to get the diagnosis I needed to tell those I came into contact with the day(s) I became symptomatic and to take the necessary precautions as soon as possible. The lack of testing resulted in a lack of knowledge and therefore a lack of power. I did not have the ability to protect myself and others as much as I would have with a timely diagnosis. If, with my privilege, I was not able to get the help I needed, what to say for people with far less privilege?

Today I am grateful for health, for a community who cared for me from a distance, and for the incarnation. Christ took on flesh and in doing so affirmed that our bodies matter, that we need each other’s physical presence, and that we are not meant to be alone.

Today I am also upset. I am upset because our healthcare system is not set up to handle a pandemic. I am upset because there have not been enough coronavirus tests available to the public. I am upset that those who are “the least of these” are the most vulnerable to contract the virus and are the most likely to not receive adequate medical care. I am upset that some people struggle to hold together lament over the economy and social norms with lament over the threat to life and the loss of life. I am upset that people, both intentionally and unintentionally, take humanity out of our discussions, debates, and commentary on the coronavirus epidemic. I’m upset that we do not name victims of the virus and choose to talk about the dying and dead as statistics rather than souls.

My hope is that our language about this topic would be colored with empathy, in the same way Christ spoke and continues to speak to us and in the same way his bodily life and death prove his empathy for our human condition. My hope is that our decisions and actions would be guided by his cruciform example. And my hope is that we would see those who are broken (those who have lost jobs, those who are sick, those who are putting themselves at risk, etc.) with the eyes of Christ. He sees us as fully human, broken, glorious, and beautiful.

Much love."

This post was edited on 4/25/20 at 12:13 pm

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