I'm sure almost all of America can sympathize with each other over the intense boredom that is fogging the world due to mandatory quarantines, closed establishments and worldwide panic over the coronavirus pandemic. Until recently I never really enjoyed eating out or going out in general, but after a semester and a half of college I too crave this desire to just do something.
Yet I know better than that. I know all too well the overwhelming atmosphere of a hospital when there isn't a pandemic. I can only imagine the incredible limit pushing environment hospitals are like right now in cities such as New York, where infected numbers have hit 33,000 as of March 26th.
Recently, however, it was my birthday just a couple weeks ago. Anyone who has known me though knows I rarely speak about my birthday before it happens, or just have never enjoyed celebrating it. It's just not something I ever saw value in.
However, once I finally had an amazing group of people to surround myself with, I deeply wanted to do something that I know I would remember. I often remarked to my friends back home away from University that I wanted to be bar mitzvah'd (a Jewish coming of age ritual where you become a true man in the eyes of the Jewish faith) on my 19th and invite hundreds of people.
Obviously I couldn't throw a bar mitzvah for my 19th. I couldn't even go out with my fraternity and have fun. I spent my birthday in the house playing videogames.
That sounds pretty boring right? Well, there is one thing I did that made my birthday incredibly special. So special that I know I will remember it as one of the better ones.
In 2019 my mother passed away due to a mix of uterine cancer and hepatitis. Just one month after my birthday. Obviously during this time I think about her more than I already do. She was my rock and my everything. So for my birthday I decided to do something for someone else.
Many people my age don't use Facebook anymore and never have. "It's for old people," I hear and remark myself too. However there is an incredible feature I discovered just 6 days before my birthday.
You can fund raise through Facebook.
When I found that out I was incredibly intrigued. I researched it and found that in all legitimacy Facebook will voluntarily handle the fees and distribution of the money you personally raise for an organization of your choice. And Facebook offers 1000s of organizations to choose from. Should I pick a Jewish foundation? Something related to Veterans? Perhaps a children's hospital? And then I thought of my mother immediately.
So in the end I ended up choosing the Foundation for Women's Cancer. A nonprofit organization that helps fund research for gynecological cancers, and raises social awareness for vaginal, uterine and cervical cancers. All the while reducing the stigma of women's health in general. "Perfect," I said to myself as I make the commitment to raise $200 for this.
Going into it I didn't think I'd get anywhere close to my goal at all. I tried advertising it on my Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and anything else I had.
And to my incredible surprise? On the day of my birthday I reached my goal of $200 raised plus some! It was an amazing feeling and something that did for others on my birthday from the walls of my quarantine. People I knew and my friends all donated to help me reach such an important goal for me, and it is as if they celebrated my birthday with me all the same. It was an amazing feeling and I'm sure the joy of giving affected them too.
So, your city is basically closed, your friends are all gone, and your birthday is coming up. Think about raising money. You don't even have to donate yourself! Facebook will handle all the fees involved. It's something amazing to do for others and even yourself on your special day.
So here's to next year with my goal of $400 :)
Sheetal Tadiparty
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