After it was apparant that Eliana's life could only be saved with a heart transplant, we quickly moved through the steps to get her on the list. A big part of that was the Transplant Evaluation. We met with the Transplant Doctor and NP, the Social Worker, Pharmacist, Surgeon, and the Nutritionist. Talking with the Nutritionist was interesting as she covered the importance of cooking meats thoroughly, making sure food prep surfaces were not cross-contaminated, avoiding buffet lines of any kind, putting food directly in the fridge and not leaving anything out, honoring expiration dates, etc. That's when it really started to set in that having an immunosuppressed kid is a big deal. After we came home from the hospital, I added hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes to my Amazon Subscribe & Save, along with my diapers and wipes. In the last year I have officially become a germaphobe.
With the spread of the Coronavirus, and especially watching the church make big decisions (like not inviting the public to General Conference and modifying how missionary work is done) and the WHO declaring a pandemic, it is easy to wonder what to do.
I do not know what to expect from all of this. I do worry, especially with our heart transplant baby and an older daughter who sees cheap airfare as her chance to travel the world. But I do know what we have been taught: Be self reliant, and prepare.
I know that the church has asked us for years to have a 3-month supply of food in our homes (see also the All is Safely Gathered In pamphlet). I gave ideas for getting your 3 month supply the first part of 2018. You can read about these goals here:
Plan
Organize
Purchase
Supplement
We have also been taught for years to have a 1 year supply of food in our homes. In April of 2018, I issued a challenge for every family on our ward to have this year's. Supply by April 2019. You can also read about the helps I gave to accomplish this here:
LTS Month 1
Using Salt
LTS Month 2
LTS Month 3
LTS Month 4
LTS Month 5
Using Beans
LTS Month 6
Using Sugar and Honey
LTS Month 7
Using Dried Milk
We have been counseled over and over to pe prepared, but don't go crazy or in to debt to obtain food storage. But if these are still on your to-do list, please do not wait any longer to start.
A huge part of being prepared is to think ahead of time about scenarios and what you will do when something happens. I admit, I have been planning more for natural disasters than a worldwide pandemic. But seriously, what if your family does need to quarantine themselves for a bit (welcome to my world!)? Are you spiritually prepared so that gospel instruction can happen in your home if we are not able to attend church meetings? What if schools are closed and you need to educate your children from home (I have a little experience with this and can answer some questions if you would like. I recomend adding printer ink and paper to your basic supplies list)? Do you have seeds and are able to plant even a small garden of fruits and vegetables so your family can eat fresh food? Do you have a reserve of money so that if a change in employment status occurs you can keep your family going?
I do not want to portray "doom and gloom, " but I do believe that a little preparedness can go a long way.
I challenge you to look at your food supply and determine what you can do to at least have a good 3 month supply. Also, think about what a worst-case-scenario pandemic might look like for your family. Are you ready for what may come? What can you do today to better prepare for this event.
If you have questions about any of the things I have touched on, please feel free to shoot me an email: raelynstoddard(at)hotmail(dot)com. I don't profess to know everything, but hopefully I can point you to some good resources to help you on your preparedness journey.
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