Finding Control in the Uncontrollable

These people are not just statistics.  They are members of families and communities who were overtaken by a virus our scientists and medical professionals continue to learn about as we seek therapeutic treatments as well as a vaccine.  At times I have felt particularly out of control and while not fearful, definitely a sense of overwhelm—partially from the constant media noise and partially from feeling helpless to do anything about it.

My family and I have taken special interest in this illness because our son, Will, has a compromised immune system as a result of leukemia treatment.  Because of that unique circumstance, we have spent a considerable amount of time looking into what we can do to prevent infections and if we were to become infected, what gives us the best chance of survival.  Interestingly, and to my relief, there is a growing body of evidence that lifestyle has a large impact on how a person will weather the storm.  Lifestyle is something I can get my head around while the world seeks a vaccine and medical professionals try different treatment modalities.

I’ve been eating a whole foods plant based vegan diet since July 2017.  Our family eats what we call Plant Strong in that there are very few animal products available and tons of whole foods.  Eating this way prevents and can reverse the lifestyle diseases of heart disease, type II diabetes and a host of others.  Individuals with these conditions are having a much more difficult time surviving the virus.  Seems a no brainer for me to go hard on nutrition as that is something we already embrace as a family.  I’ve also been working on adequate sleep, hydration and exercise and encouraging the same for everyone in the household.

There’s no perfect plan, no guarantees and I fully expect that at some time, if it hasn’t already happened, our family will be exposed and someone will become ill with COVID-19.  By investing in a healthy overall lifestyle, I feel more in control and able to put our family into the best possible position to survive and thrive beyond the pandemic.