"To all the Lives Lost in the Past Year" by Victoria Romão Nóbrega (‘23)

I don’t remember what it’s like to walk outside without being afraid. I don’t remember what was the last day I went out without a mask or without hand sanitizer in my bag. I don’t remember the last time I watched the news and saw happy news, without numbers of people dying. Numbers. Not names or who they were, just random numbers as if they were books on a shelf. Today is, for me and everyone in Brazil, an especially sad day. Today we lost our biggest comedian to COVID. This has made me want to write this and reach out to all of the families who have lost someone.

Dear Families,

I know you feel like there is no way to overcome this. I know this feels like a never-ending strike of pain and despair. And saying that you are not alone is an understatement. So, I wanted you to know: your pain matters, how you are dealing with it is legitimate, your loved one was an important person and not just a number, and they deserve to be recognized as such. It doesn’t matter what people say, or if they don’t pay attention to what is really going on. You are doing the best you can and you will get through it. 

Newspapers and hypocritical people are not doing justice to the thousands of lives lost in the past year, and more than anything else, they deserve our respect. So now I appeal to everyone: stay home if you can, practice social distancing, wear a mask, and most importantly get vaccinated if you can. 

Wherever you are in the world, protect yourself and stay safe. This is almost over, and we can get through this. We can do better, and we must do better so no more lives will be lost, and no one becomes just another random number.