Page 3: How You Can Help (It’s Simpler Than You Think)

By: Brandon Matthew Deen, Sr.

Here’s the part that matters it doesn’t take much to make a big difference.

If you’re sick, stay home. Not just for yourself, but for the people around you who might not have the same immune strength you do. If you’re unsure whether it’s allergies or something more, play it safe. Wash your hands more often. Carry sanitizer. Keep your distance when possible. These things aren’t new. We’ve all learned them. We just need to apply them to real-life moments, not just during pandemics.

And if someone with an autoimmune disease sets a boundary, skips a gathering, wears a mask, asks you to reschedule, respect it. They’re not being dramatic. They’re doing the math. They’re trying to keep their life on track.

You don’t have to understand every detail of their disease to respect their decisions.

There’s no medal for “pushing through” when you’re sick. But there is real harm when that choice infects someone else whose body isn’t equipped to bounce back.

So, the next time you think it’s “just a cold,” remember this: it might be. For you. But for someone else, it could mean lost time, lost energy, or a health setback they didn’t ask for and didn’t deserve.

That’s not fear. That’s just reality.

And being mindful of that? That’s not about pity. That’s just being human.