Osiris Temple No. 67 Nobles vs. the Novel Coronavirus

Contributed by IP Steve E. Primus Osiris Temple No. 67 Melbourne, Fla.

The Year 2020 will be remembered for many things, and most of it will probably be negative: the closure of public schools throughout the nation and the cancellation of all major sports, including the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics. So, what is the big deal of rescheduling the Olympics? The only other times in history the Olympics did not occur on-time was in 1916 because of World War I and in 1940 and 1944 because of World War II. On the other hand, you know things are serious when all Disney resorts and Disneyland worldwide close their doors to the public, losing billions of dollars. If we are not at war, what could bring the world to a screeching halt? Let me introduce you to the Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19.

The United States leads the world with COVID-19 cases and deaths. But what is so alarming, is that the virus is disproportionately affecting America’s people of color. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Long-standing systemic health and social inequities have put some members of racial and ethnic minority groups at increased risk of getting COVID-19 or experiencing severe illness, regardless of age.”

However, some of the most resilient members of society -- not sports stars or movie stars, not billionaires or politicians; but your regular everyday Americans and others across the globe, are in the forefront combatting this deadly virus. Several members of Osiris Temple No. 67, in the Oasis of Melbourne, Desert of Florida, are among them! Day after day, these Nobles take their lives into their hands when walking through the doors of their respective places of employment — and in some cases with little Personal Protection Equipment (PPE). In one of his White House briefings, Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s leading infectious disease expert, said that our health care workers are fighting a “war” with the Covid-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, things will get worse before they get better and casualties will reach unspeakable numbers amongst patients and health care professionals as well.

Not everyone can stay at home and be in quarantine. Many of our brothers and sisters are considered essentials workers and must leave the comfort of their homes and their loved ones and go out and face an enemy who has no fear! Osiris Temple No. 67 and Osiris Court No. 70 would like to extend a huge “thank-you” to both the Nobles and the Daughters for what they are doing in this crisis. Working a 12-hour shift is the norm for our members and they join millions of others across the country selflessly doing their part and, in many cases, their sacrifice goes unnoticed. Our members cover every imaginable profession you can think of and a short sample of their professions are listed, but there are so many more to thank: Delivery drivers, doctors, educators, corrections officers, EMTs, First Responders, grocery store employees, hospital staff, lawyers, lobbyists, military members, nurses, pharmacists, police, postal workers, restaurants workers, truck drivers, VA employees and many others!

I reached out to one such Noble who has been working deep in the trenches since the word Coronavirus became part of our everyday vocabulary-- Christian Tokwaulu. I asked him what makes him gets up every day and head to work knowing that if he is not careful, he could end up a patient in the place he works. He simply said to me, “Caring for our fellow men, and humanity is what we stand for. The concept of faith, hope and charity goes a long way, caring for God’s creation. It is my duty as a craftsman.” I was rendered speechless!

Noble Tokwaulu is a Registered Nurse (R.N.) who works at Fresenius Medical Care (FMC) and West Orange Nephrology in Orlando, Florida. He provides Hemodialysis Dialysis treatment for Chronic Kidney Disease patients. Since our world has been turned upside down, Noble Tokwaulu stated that like everyone else in the hospital, their workload has increased immensely, and he is basically on call 24/7. However, it is not the workload that has him stressed; it is the lack of family time. He said the impact of not seeing his family is devastating due to his demanding and exhausting work schedule.

Noble Tokwaulu echoed the sentiments of A.E.A.O.N.M.S. leadership of doing what we can to stop the spread of this disease, by doing the simple things. That includes following our local health departments’ recommendations and staying at home whenever possible. If you must venture out, wearing a mask and social distancing of six feet are a must. I am asking everyone to please reach out and touch someone—call your friends, neighbors, that person that you have not spoken to in a while and kept meaning to call. Please check on our older Nobles especially the ones who you have not seen to ensure they have everything that they need.

It is an honor to work with such dedicated and devoted Nobles who daily perform so many acts of kindness and bravery as shown by their willingness to be there for anyone in need regardless of the danger to themselves!

“We Are Florida!”