Strained breaths, coughing, and pale skin. That is the condition Madelynn “Maddie” Stoffle was in when she was admitted to St. Luke’s Hospital in October last year. It was shortly after the midterm exam week came to an end for students at Morningside College. While her peers finally got a break to catch their breath, literal breathing became an exceptionally hard task for then-freshman Stoffle.

Catching a normal cold turned into being hospitalized for two days because of an upper respiratory infection. A healthy person would only have needed over the counter medicine and some rest, but for Stoffle it meant breathing treatments and heavy medicine.

The cause behind the cold turned infection was Stoffle’s asthma, which she has been struggling with since she contracted RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) as a child. Until recently, the 20-year-old developmental psychology major only ever really had to be concerned about the winter months and the flu season.

2020 however, brought on an entirely new challenge for her. Because of her weakened immune system, Stoffle is part of the group of humans who are at high risk of contracting the Coronavirus and developing a life-threatening version of COVID-19. When the pandemic first began spreading globally, Stoffle moved back home from college and entered a lockdown that was far away from the isolation period the rest of the country experienced.

After consulting with her lung doctor and mother, she stayed out of the public and away from everybody who could possibly be carrying the virus – for three entire months. As her mother is a nurse, Stoffle also had to stay away from her. The family had to create an area in the basement where her mother could live while Stoffle was at home.

“I was not able to be around and hug my mother for three months. We would have conversations from the base of the stairs while I stayed at the top,” Stoffle said about this surreal situation.

Whenever Stoffle’s younger brothers came into contact with their mother, they had to wear a mask at all times, shower right afterward, and also wash their clothes. While other people were fighting over the last toilet paper roll in supermarkets, Stoffle couldn’t even go to the store to get groceries. She only left the house to drive to the park when the walls seemed to close in on her.

After a long discussion with her mother, Stoffle decided in August to go back to college for the fall semester. Following safety regulations closely and making sure to stay away from those who don’t do the same is her key to staying healthy.

Stoffle is a very social person which has only made the lockdown harder for her. At College, she surrounded herself with friends who she can be sure take COVID-19 measures seriously. Because of that, she has managed to carry on college life almost like before.

One of Stoffle’s closer friends on campus and soccer teammate Megan Messersmith says, “I know she has a lot of health issues. She has said that if she gets COVID-19 she could potentially die so we try to stay as safe as possible in order to keep Maddie safe while still being able to hang out with her.”

But even though COVID-19 might mean that Stoffle has to take more precautions than others she is determined to not let that affect her life. Despite all the troubles of the last year, Stoffle has kept a very positive mindset.

She has set goals, friendships, and the usual amount of trouble college students typically find themselves confronted with. Every few weeks she sports a new hair color radiating positivity. Former roommate and friend Annika Zentel, says, “Maddie is a very sweet person. She cares a lot about others and always puts them first.”

Right now, Stoffle would need other people to care about others as much as she does. Stoffle has a clear opinion on those who refuse to wear masks and still believe the pandemic is a hoax, “I think this really shows how people really are and how they value themselves higher than even their children. I wished that people cared more about other people than themselves.”

She just wants other people to wear masks and be thoughtful about the situation. “Please wear a mask, please. It could and can mean the difference between someone like me living for a longer time and me dying before I get to celebrate my twenty-first birthday.”