I couldn’t breathe.  I was hyperventilating from stress.  My daughter, “Slow down!  Breathe mom!”  I couldn’t.  “Call grandma!”  I told her.  She dialed the number. . .

In the meantime, my husband was also in a crisis.  He received word that his oldest son was in critical condition in the Philippines.  His son had a covid vaccine shot and was having complications.  Quickly, my husband called all his immediate family and friends for help.  His other sons quickly got on the phone too for help.  Finally, his son was transported to the hospital.  Among all of them, my husband found a friend in the hospital who could pull strings to get his son admitted and treated quickly.  Now, we just wait.

I began breathing regularly.  Grandma managed to calm me down over the phone.  She counted to seven as I inhaled and counted to another seven for me to exhale.  I began to talk regularly. . .  Our call ended.  I can breathe now.  I went to my husband.

He asked me to rest and embraced me and said that he loved me. . . and I wrote.

A person with mental illness, anxiety and depression goes through the motions and emotions of a normal life.