COVID-19 Nearly Took My Life, Redefined My Viewpoint โonโ Risk and Gratitude
five years after a near-fatal battleโ with COVID-19, USA TODAY’s commentary editor โขBlake Fontenay reflects on a profound shift in his outlook onโข life, โdeath, and the โขwillingness to embrace risk โin โpursuit of what he believes isโ right. The experience, occurringโข shortly โbefore thanksgiving inโ 2020, instilled a newfoundโ appreciation for the fragility of life and a determination to live โmore purposefully.
The United States surpassed 375,000 COVID-19 โคdeaths in 2020, a โฃstaggering loss that reshaped the nation’s understanding of public health andโค personal vulnerability. Whileโ theโค acute phase of theโข pandemic has passed,โ the long-term impacts – both โphysical and psychological -โ continue to โresonate. Fontenay’s story offers a โฃpersonal lens through which to examine the enduring legacy of COVID-19,particularly โฃits influence on individual values and decision-making. It speaks to a broaderโฃ societal reckoning โwith mortality and the re-evaluation of prioritiesโ thatโ many experienced during the pandemic.
Before โฃcontracting โคthe virus, Fontenay harbored โa conventional hope for longevity, aimingโ toโ reach 100 years ofโข age with a โreasonable qualityโฃ of life. However, his brush with death fundamentally altered thatโค perspective. Heโฃ now recognizes that life’s continuation is โขnotโค guaranteed, even for a singleโค day.โ This realization hasn’t ledโ to recklessness; he โmaintains everyday caution.
Rather, the experience has fostered a willingness to pursue convictions, evenโฃ when facing โpotential personal risk. “What’s changedโ is, ifโฃ there’s โaโ courseโข ofโค action โthat I believe is right โ โขandโค the stakes are high enough โ I’m not afraid to pursue โthat course of action,โ even if it will put my life โฃat โrisk,” Fontenay explains.
He describes feeling as though he is “playing the game โof life โwithโข houseโ money,” a metaphor for a newfound freedomโข to actโ on principles without being paralyzed โขby fear. This shift in mindset, born from โa harrowingโ experience five years ago, has become a guiding โคforce in his life, shaping his approachโฃ to โchallenges โand opportunities. For Fontenay, living fullyโ now meansโฃ embracing that principle, a gratitude forged in the faceโฃ of โmortality.