With everything going on regarding the Coronavirus known now as COVID-19, I thought I’d welcome you to the world of “Germaphobia.” (I’d like to think I’m the president of such a place.)
I’ve been a “germaphobe” since I was a little boy. When my friends got sick, my parents were adamant that I not get near them. When my parents got sick, they both wore masks around me or just shut their door so I would not get sick. Besides that, my parents were always concerned about me being anywhere close to a CF patient even before the six-foot rule was officially put in place. They both refused to send me to a CF camp primarily because they were worried about me catching anything. (Those camps are few and far between now by the way, as it was proven the risk of bacterial cross-contamination was pretty significant.)
When I grew up and went to work with my dad, anytime there was anyone close to my office who was sick, my dad or his assistant would insist that I go home. I hated it. It made me feel very isolated, to be honest with you. I felt like my peers in the office looked at me as the glass menagerie, too delicate to approach without fear of breaking me. As if on my door there was a sign, “You get Andy sick, you’re fired.” I’d argue with my dad or his assistant about leaving, but I knew it would give my dad some sense of relief and probably the rest of the office too.
When friends come up to me, they often say “I have a little bit of a sniffle so I don’t want to get too close to you.” I’m appreciative but at the same time I hate that they have to worry about infecting me with some sort of cold. I feel guilty as if I can’t be a “normal” human being because of CF. You ever remember the story of the boy in the bubble? When it comes to germs, that’s what I grew up with and it never really stopped. My germ senses are that of a germaphobic superhero. If someone coughs, whether two feet away or 100, I know to stay away. If I shake someone’s hand and they happen to mention in a 10-minute conversation about their child just having strep, I’d reach down in my pocket and discretely wash my hand with a small bottle of hand sanitizer.
Here’s the thing about germaphobia (also known as mysophobia, verminophobia, and bacillophobia). It’s kind of like a bottle of sanitizer. Obviously it improves your chances of not getting sick but it’s not 100% foolproof. I still go to gyms and work out but I do wash my hands and the equipment when I can. I still coach germ-infested kids on the baseball field and basketball court. I still fly though I do wear a mask. There’s only one life and I plan to live it. I won’t throw caution to the wind but I will certainly only use it when it seems like the right thing to do.
Everybody is freaking out about COVID-19, but for me it’s just another germ like the flu, a CF bacteria, or even a very bad cold. If you need advice about how to stay calm during a threat like this one, just ask me.
After all, I am the president of Germaphobia.