California Baptist University 2022

Explaining that seeing her father very ill was eye-opening, Sanchez sentimentally describes the moment when she realized this virus was not just hysteria. “My dad just looked at me one day and sentimentally repeated that the virus was no joke,” Sanchez said, “that was really unsettling and so if he said that, then I knew he was afraid of it and it hurt because there was a part of us that didn’t know if we were able to be with each other if we were all infected, we only knew to quarantine for two weeks and that meant being alone.” As Sanchez’ family distanced themselves towards the end of their quarantine, they found a way of healing together through the help of a close friend, and learning to create a healthy spiritual lifestyle. “My best friend had lost her step dad to COVID-19 and her dad’s mom as well so when she heard that my family was tested positive, she came with her mom to bring us Filipino soup, organic juicers, and zinc to help with our immune system and it opened my eyes to a healthier way of living…internally and externally.” After just two weeks, Sanchez learned that her way of healing would affect the remaining of her and her family’s lifestyle.

“I learned to take it day by day, whether that was going outside, eating healthier food, or drinking a lot of water. I was journaling because I had to do something with my thoughts and I couldn’t talk to anybody.” With an unfortunate virus taking a toll of Sanchez’ family, she utilized a new way of healthy living. “When you’re just isolated in your room, you just have yourself to be with for two weeks, and rather than picking apart everything… you just learn to cherish your body especially in a time where your body isn’t healthy. The way you talk to your body is important too, it made me just get in touch with myself and my spiritual self to heal not just while I was sick but now, when I am still healing,” said Sanchez. Healing from the Pandemic, Sanchez represents an examples of many other lives that experienced or will experience COVID-19. “We all have a different way of healing in unprecedented tragedies, but in one way or another through the same experiences, we’re healing as a nation together until it’s over,” said Sanchez.

WORDS Anyssa Gonzalez

PHOTO Kia Harlan

DESIGN Amanda Palacios Kia Harlan

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Healing

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