Receiving a positive coronavirus diagnosis can be scary. After I was diagnosed, I knew that people’s perceptions would change, because this is such a misunderstood virus. I was confident in my health and the fact that I could take the precautions necessary, but I didn’t immediately think about how the diagnosis would impact me beyond the two weeks of illness.
I spent multiple days in bed after feeling fatigued with a hundred-degree fever that then turned into full body chills and an illness that truly scared me. Thankfully, I got tested for the virus by my primary care physician and we quickly had a confirmed status. During those weeks, I had a lot of people step up to help me feel better, including a traveling IV service, Prana IV Therapy, who came into my home in full hazmat suits to give me a dose of zinc, vitamin C and other supplements. The kindness and support I’ve seen during this time have been inspiring.
So now, after fighting off this illness, I had to figure out how to return to work and resume living a normal life. My partner and I created The Surprise Date Challenge, which was adapted into a book and an online subscription program. The Surprise Date Challenge was created to invoke creativity and inspiration in love and relationships by turning the commonplace into extraordinary. Too often, people find themselves in a familiar rut of doing the same mundane activities and searching for that elusive spark that keeps relationships fresh and vibrant. We are committed to sharing activities and events that ignite the spark; eliminate the mundane; and add adventure, love and purpose to relationships, whether they are new or 20 years strong.
While having the virus, I felt fatigued like I have never felt before, but once I had high-dose vitamin C IV’s along with an Ozone treatment, my energy came back better than before contracting the virus. With that being said, I didn’t want to risk a relapse so I did take it easy my first week back to work and mostly got caught up on emails and was reaching out to clients and customers to see how they were doing. Fortunately, my life and business partner Marty was able to take control of the important things while I was down and out. We also leaned on our business support systems by having a virtual assistant to delegate things to and we also hired Blaze Experts to help us step up our game and take the creation of our Date of the Month e-blast off my hands. I sent Blaze Experts the content and then they took care of the copywriting and graphic design, which was a huge weight off of my shoulders. Our clients love the new look of this and it freed up my time for other things, so this ended up being a great benefit and outcome from getting the virus.
When I was getting over the virus, I had a lot of people interested in my recovery because, again, this isn’t something that we have all experienced or even know much about. Once I got back to work, there were still some questions present, but we were able to transition everything back to normal. I had to be kind to myself and make sure I was fully healed before I got back into the busy life of running our own business, but it has been a successful transition. I think my willingness to talk about having COVID-19 has helped me appreciate the businesses and people who truly step up to help during this time. It also showed me that my business is really important because, even during this time, we have a new benefits company on the East Coast now offering the Date of the Month Club to its 250,000-plus employees. They understand the value in keeping employees happy and connected during these stressful times.
Three weeks after my first symptoms appeared, I was back to work full time and I continue to feel great now. The only lingering effect of COVID-19 has been my sense of smell and taste has been heightened, and this remains. I am thankful for the lessons and partnerships that this challenging time brought to light, the support of our community, and my health.
Growing up in Cottonwood, Arizona, Dana Lam dreamed of the big city. While her small-town roots grounded her, since leaving rural Arizona she has traveled to more than 30 countries and is always planning her next trip to feed her wanderlust. Lam is an author and co-founder of the Surprise Date Challenge.
Read more COVID-19 Stories: Experiences that Show Our Strength
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