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COVID-19 Recovery: Jeff Sweat Sings for his Voice
You may remember that back in February of 2021, we did two posts on Jeff Sweat, a writer in Los Angeles who, although his entire family caught COVID, was the only one to be hospitalized. Jeff was healthy with no underlying medical conditions at the time but he spent 28 days in the ICU. Jeff was intubated and had a tracheotomy, where an opening is placed in the neck for an airway. These procedures, along with the harm that COVID did to his body, gave Jeff great difficulty with his voice when he was released from the hospital.

How a Social Worker Reclaimed Herself Through Nature During the Pandemic
Tamar Izcovich is a clinical social worker with a private practice in NYC. She is an avid hiker and is always up for an adventure outdoors. Here she shares her personal story of how being in nature helped her reclaim part of herself during the pandemic. She also discusses some of the science of how nature strengthens our mental health. Also check out Tamar’s previous post, “Traveling Solo: Lessons Learned From Loose Rocks in the Himalayas.”

Jeff Sweat's COVID-19 Journey: An Update
As you may know, all of us at Musa Masala have been following the journey of author, Jeff Sweat, as he's battled severe COVID-19 and its aftereffects. We are so happy that Jeff is now back home and improving every day.
Jeff's first-person story is so well told, as were tellings by his wife, Sunny, who stood in when Jeff wasn't yet conscious. Through a writer's view, he's giving us such a tangible, vivid feel for what he and his family have been going through.

Battling COVID-19 in a Hospital: Author Jeff Sweat's Story
Jeff Sweat is a Los Angeles-based writer and author with a rich background in journalism and marketing. He’s also funny—very funny—and a loving father, partner, and friend to many. Until a few weeks ago, he was also healthy and active, as well as caring enough to take recommended precautions to avoid catching or spreading the COVID-19 virus.
As he wrote in a Facebook post on January 31st, he and his family had been “insanely careful,” venturing only to two stores and consistently wearing a mask around non-family members before his COVID symptoms appeared.

Heat Illness: How to Prevent and Treat It
Musa Masala is happy to introduce Dr. Stephen Simon. Stephen is joining us as we launch our latest aid in our educational library. Here is the Musa Masala Heat Illness Card! As I write this it is 112 degrees F. outside, so what appropriate timing.

Nepal and COVID-19: Food Distribution with Wongchhu Peak Promotion
Unlike the worsening situation in the United States, Nepal has taken a different approach to COVID-19. The central government put a total lockdown of the country in place on March 24th. Although it resulted in the closing of the spring climbing and trekking season and caused terrible economic damage to the population, Nepal was able, with physical distancing and the wearing of masks, to keep the number of infections down in the country. As of July 26, there are 18,483 confirmed cases, and sadly, 44 deaths.

A Nurse's View: Life in the ER During COVID-19
Travel nurse Linda Andrus is back on a plane on her way to the East Coast to work in another ER dealing with COVID-19. She graciously took some of her only free time to write down about her experiences at the outset of the virus in California. Linda has a written a stunning piece on what it was like in the first few weeks as her workplace came to grips with COVID-19. This is personal and tough read.