Kevin Richards
SVP, Chief Creative Officer at Subject Matter
What, if anything, are you doing differently?
I’m staying home. This is not a virus I want to mess with—not that anybody does—but the visuals of ventilators hit too close for comfort. Just over two years ago, I had a mysterious asthma attack that landed me in the hospital. After rounds of respiratory treatment, CT scans, x-rays and flu tests, no answers were identified, and my breathing became critical. I was moved into the Intensive Care Unit and my last visual was a large group of doctors with arms crossed looking at me as though to say, huh? I gasped for air and a nurse walked in with a bag of ominous syringes. My wife said everything would be ok as I fell into respiratory failure. I was placed in a medically induced coma and hooked up to a ventilator, and back then, “ventilator” was not an everyday news story. For three days I laid there with a machine breathing for me and my family at my side. I’m sure this time was much more difficult for them. Luckily, my body rallied, and the call was made to take me off the ventilator. This process is ugly. Fentanyl, Ketamine and Propofol make for a rough hangover, and the loss of time and space made it hard to find myself again. It was an out-of-body experience. I literally didn’t know who I was or where I was, but my wife was there to remind me. It was Valentine’s day and she held my hand. Today’s battle with Covid-19 is scary. It seems unfathomable, but to me it’s relatable. The part I can’t imagine is going through it without my family at my side. It’s terrible to think of being alone in the hospital and it’s cruel how this disease prohibits togetherness in someone’s moment of need. The good news? I can attest to the dedication and talent of the medical community, and I know we have our best people at the frontline. I will be praying for those impacted, and I’m doing my part by staying home.