March 2020 has been a tumultuous month throughout the United States. In the throws of a pandemic, every person is questioning their daily routines and individual values. But what if you are elderly? Suffer from a chronic illness? Or are considered especially vulnerable to coronavirus? Understandably, every concern the general public has is heightened when the risk of illness and death is higher for you.
One vulnerable person, A. M. Carter, has written a powerful blog on Medium (an independent idea-sharing website) about her experiences in preventing viral illness. She candidly shares her medical journey and offers up specific tips to keep vulnerable persons safe. (1)
Fighting Cancer And Coronavirus
Carter has a degree in journalism from the University of Florida, enjoys running, and likes to keep her hair short. But Carter is also defined by her experience with cancer. In 2017, she received a bone marrow transplant to treat a genetic form of cancer impacting her immune system. (2)
In addition to her bone marrow transplant, a process that replaces foundational blood cells found within large human bones, Carter received intensive chemotherapy. The chemotherapy was used to essentially ‘erase’ her then-bone marrow, which was diseased and making her ill. With the old bone marrow gone, the transplant would also have a greater chance of being effective.
The major drawback of this process was Carter’s immune system was essentially non-functional during this time. For a month before and months after the transplant, any viral illness could make her incredibly sick. Although this period of vulnerability for Carter was way before coronavirus came into existence, Carter has thoughtfully linked her experience to modern issues.
Carter writes, “Everyone is scared of COVID-19 (the disease caused by novel coronavirus). I get it. I’ve been in the hospital a lot in my life, and I definitely don’t want to go back.” (1) But she feels her everyday tips for avoiding viral illnesses are of extreme importance for everyone because of the pandemic.
Preventing Viral Illness For Cancer Patients 101
While she waited for her new immune system to ‘kick-in’, Carter had to be careful. But not as careful as you may think. She writes, “You might think that there were a bunch of crazy rules I had to follow, and maybe that I had to live in a bubble or travel around in a hamster ball. As fun as the hamster ball might have been, that was not the case.”
In fact, Carter was told to follow (strictly) three basic rules.
- Constant, thorough hand washing and hand sanitizing.
- Constant, thorough cleaning and sanitizing of surfaces that I touched.
- Completely avoiding primary vectors of transmission.
Essentially, these tips mean not skimping on how you wash your hands, clean your home, and taking protective measures in public. To effectively wash your hands, sing ‘Happy Birthday’ or wash for at least 20 full seconds. Give special attention to washing the backs of your hands, around your thumbs, and your nails. Per Carter, wash your hands anytime you want to touch your face, change environments, after using an electronic device, before working with food, and if you can’t remember the last time you washed them!
For cleaning surfaces, clean all known touch surfaces once right away, and then continually go back over them as people come and go from the house. One example is a busy morning routine in the kitchen – give the touch surfaces in this area a clean before moving onto the rest of your day. If going out in public, assume touch surfaces have not been clean and avoid them as much as possible. Stay at least 6 feet away from people in public areas too. And remember, foolproof protection from the public is always staying home. (2)
How Is Coronavirus Impacting Cancer Patients?
Sadly, the world does not completely stop for those fighting cancer. Though some patients may be able to delay or avoid certain immune-compromising procedures at this time, others will have to continue treatment. However, there may be some light at the end of the tunnel.
Immunotherapy is considered one of the safest treatments right now for cancer patients since this treatment relies upon the patient’s own immune system to fight cancer. Patients receiving immunotherapy do not become more susceptible to coronavirus because they do not have their natural defenses lowered, but strengthened.
For patients who are not eligible for immunotherapy, which is the case for certain cancer types, researchers are working to make treatments safer during the outbreak. For instance, new limitations on bone marrow transplants have been put in place to diminish risks to patients. If you are a cancer patient, stay in close contact with your medical team to get the most up to date information. (3)
