According to the Allegheny County Health Department, there were 19,499 cases of COVID-19 in Allegheny County as of Nov. 14.

Well, I guess I make case number 19,500.

I will miss Thanksgiving with my family. I will miss getting dressed up to hang at my mom’s house, cracking jokes, and in the words of Uncle Phil, “Turkey with pillowy mounds of mashed potatoes, butter-drenched dressing. Tiny onions! Swimming in a sea of cream sauce.”

What about my cousin’s tradition of Black Friday shopping at the North Versailles Walmart? Last year, I almost clotheslined a woman for jipping the long line in an attempt to get a $98 flat screen TV.

All of those annual family traditions go right out of the window when the world’s deadliest virus is knocking on my doorstep. Who am I kidding? Coronavirus kicked in my door without a warrant and plopped right on my couch.

I don’t know where or from whom I contracted coronavirus, but I am fully aware of its path of destruction and the victims it has so carelessly left behind.

Since the pandemic started, I went straight into Power Ranger mode—the pink one, to be exact. I said to myself, “I can make a difference during these difficult times.” So, to date, I rescued over 600 pounds of food and delivered 518 meals with 412 Food Rescue, distributed 500 pairs of shoes to local children, supplied more than 8,000 students with bookbags and school supplies, and turned a typically small harvest party into a Homewood giveaway.

Ironically, with movie theaters closed, this pandemic has been good to your Movie Scene Queen, too. In April, we raised over $2,000 to provide immediate cash assistance to single parents. We became a registered trademark in August. Movie Scene Queen joined the African American Film Critics Association, creating a space to interview Spike Lee, Issa Rae, Nia Long, Jamie Foxx, Denzel Washington, and others.

All I want to do is help people, and now, I need to help myself. I am hoping and praying that in 14 days I am COVID-free, and equally important, I wish upon a star that I do not spread the virus to anyone I know and love.

Read more at the New Pittsburgh Courier, My review of ‘coronavirus’—Zero Stars! Two Thumbs Down!