Editorial

     It is with great sadness that I write this. I loved my brother-in-law like my own brother and when we received a call at 7am last Sunday morning (10-25) that he had passed away at the age of 48 of complications stemming from COVID-19 I was devastated. 

     Granted, he had been suffering from several health issues over the last few years and had been forced to quit his beloved high school coaching job, but the virus was simply more than his weakened immune system could handle. 

     The announcement of his passing that appeared on Facebook resulted in nearly 800 comments, many from former students. Many of them told how he had been a father figure to them or how he had encouraged them when they were going through a difficult time in their life. For others, it was his upbeat attitude that they admired or he was simply a friend they could count on. 

     This thing is not a hoax or a conspiracy theory; it is real. And if there is even the slightest chance that COVID-19 protocols (vaccine, masks, etc.) work, I will willingly follow them because if they save even one life then the inconvenience is a small price to pay so that nobody else will have to suffer through the sorrow of losing a loved one.