You're listening to Shortwave.

For MenPR.

Hi everyone, Ritoo Chateji here.

For many of us including myself, the start of the pandemic in March of last year feels

like ages ago, almost like another era altogether.

But for Matthew Chrysilius, it's like he's still trapped in that time, in a cycle that's

started in the spring of 2020.

Because he's a traveller, but he's been going to all these parts of the country where

the pandemic just keeps going.

You face your own mortality every day, and I think there's only so many times you can

do that and then not be affected, right?

You see it every day and you're wondering if I got to get this amount, take this home

to my wife.

Everybody I know who I work with up here has gotten it.

A coworker of mine in Ohio who had it back in March last year, same age as me, probably

like 33 or something.

In it, I have an stroke.

You can't work anymore.

He's on disability now.

So those are the things like you come face to face with that and like what am I willing

to risk for a paycheck?

And working through 19 months of the pandemic has taken a toll, not just on Matthew, but

...