Sheridan Nygaard

And if I'm being completely honest with everybody, my mental health has suffered extraordinarily.

It feels like a never ending pit with new things getting funding pulled constantly.

Not being able to get a job, not being able to start a family and live the American dream because of these things is just devastating because all I did when I went into public health is want to help people like my grandma who passed away of COVID.

Like it truly, we have never got a break since COVID and it just keeps going.

And just to be vulnerable and raw with everybody so that it is extremely clear.

Sometimes we do feel like giving up, but we don't because we care about our patients and our participants and our people.

Kind of combining what both Matthew and DeAndra brought up.

Research takes time and you can't set a date for certain findings.

That's not how research works.

And the top public health leader at HHS is saying that they will find a cause for autism by the summer.

and that we know that it has to be environmental because you can't have an epidemic with just genetic factors.

Science does not agree with this statement.

It is very clear that autism is genetic.

We have a lot of research that we spent a lot of money and time on to learn this.

And for the head or the leader of HHS to put a timeframe on science and also

just speak so openly about myths that we know are not true.

It just goes back to what Matthew said is we truly need public health leaders that are evidence-based and that will be leaders that won't take us steps backwards and won't waste our money on research that we've already done.

She did have comorbidities, and that is a conversation point that a lot of people like to bring up when they talk about COVID. I had graduated college in 2020. I worked really, really hard to be the kid that sits in the front row, to have the extra tassels. I got 4.0. I really worked hard to be that kid in the front, and then I didn't get to walk. And we'd never got to celebrate my graduation.

She did have comorbidities, and that is a conversation point that a lot of people like to bring up when they talk about COVID. I had graduated college in 2020. I worked really, really hard to be the kid that sits in the front row, to have the extra tassels. I got 4.0. I really worked hard to be that kid in the front, and then I didn't get to walk. And we'd never got to celebrate my graduation.

And that was early in 2020. And I felt that sacrifice was necessary for other people's health and safety. And I will stand by that. But I did lose something there. Six months later, my grandma was diagnosed with COVID. And due to certain political pundits or talking points, The majority of my family did not think that COVID was serious enough to go visit her and say goodbye.