Any test a person gets ready to take likely makes them nervous. Whether a simple drivers’ test or a small five-question quiz, the moments before a test often causes heart rates to rise dramatically.

Every day there is something on the news related to COVID-19. At the beginning of this pandemic, many people didn’t take it seriously, which I admit I didn’t as well. However, I did what I needed to do to avoid causing harm to myself or anyone else I was around. People worldwide are losing their loved ones, but the flu has caused the same destruction each year. My older relatives are making sure I follow the rules, giving my body the right amount of immune support to stay healthy and avoid being around large groups of people. I’m an athlete that runs every day, plus I don’t leave the house unless it’s for something important. I felt that I didn’t need to worry about anything because chances were extremely low for me to get sick.

Life always finds a way to bring us back to reality. When my grandmother tested positive, I wasn’t completely worried since she worked in the medical field and, knew all the right steps to recover from this deadly virus. Everyone has different experiences with COVID, and my grandmother was one of the lucky people who didn’t have a life-threatening battle but, everything started to go downhill from there. Each week someone I knew tested positive, I still didn’t take this disease as seriously as everyone else did since I knew I had a low chance.

My attitude didn’t change until I was required to take a COVID test to return to school. Before taking any test, studying is a priority for passing, but how do you prepare for a test that is life-changing? After taking the test, I had to wait a day for my results. It seemed like those hours took forever, and each hour I repeatedly told myself I was OK because I barely went anywhere. The following morning I received a phone call from my coach, and I got the worst possible news anyone would want to hear during these challenging times. It felt like my heart jumped out of my chest, hearing that I tested positive, especially since I followed all the rules to stay safe. The worst part was the quarantine, where each day I was nervous because I didn’t know what to expect. Even though it felt like my world was ending, my dad was the main person who got me through those rough days.

I’m one of the lucky ones. I didn’t have a bad experience with COVID, but now I take things very seriously.