Thread by @justinhendrix

1/ An experiment. I know a lot of folks are out there with serious concerns, fears & stories to tell about how the pandemic is affecting them. So, I set up a Google voicemail to receive messages. Think of it like StoryCorps, but anonymous. I won't publish your info or number...

2/ But I will share the audio & sometimes anonymized transcriptions, so that we can share how we are all reacting to this incredible moment in time. Two rules- don't share anything you don't want others to know, and don't call in an emergency. I can't help you in any way at all.

3/ In fact, I've set the number to "Do Not Disturb," so it will go straight to voicemail every time- I will never reply. Think of this as an impromptu oral history project. I'll call it #ViralVoicemail. If you want to share something you can try calling now [phone].

4/ This may go nowhere- but I figured it was worth a go to give folks an outlet, and potentially to see what patterns there are in people's experiences. And I reckon there are some good stories out there about folks helping one another, or contending with struggles together.

5/ Who knows, maybe even folks finding humor in this moment. So if you find yourself moved to share- operators are (not) standing by- but you can leave a message at [phone]. I'll check in the morning and see if there were any calls or messages of note!

6/ That was fast- a caller from Washington state. Magically- she left a message that was 2:19 seconds long (Twitter's video limit is 2:20). I think this woman speaks for a lot of people- "it seems to me like we are not really acknowledging how many people" aren't ready for this.

7/ A caller from Canada- concerned about her family traveling. Share your story at [phone] #viralvoicemail

8/ A caller from Atlanta- already unemployed, and now desperate. Do you have a story about how you are dealing with pandemic? Thoughts? Fears? Leave an anonymous message at [phone] #viralvoicemail

9/ A young man calls in concerned about what this means for the country- clearly disturbed by the inequities that are brought to the fore by the pandemic response. He's scared, but hopeful and resolute in the long run. (edited out pauses to fit) #viralvoicemail

10/ A lady recounts her situation- her mother died recently. "A lot of people say when a parent dies you just want the world to stop... now it seems like the world is stopping and it is just unbearable." If you want to share leave a voicemail now [phone]. #ViralVoicemail

11/ This woman is concerned about her mother, who is a cancer patient and thus immune suppressed. She got so panicked the other day she almost convinced herself she was sick with COVID19. Tell your story at [phone]. #ViralVoicemail

12/ This gentleman lives in Phoenix, and he says he has had a rough day. He was very concerned folks would be exposed participating the primary. Wishing you well sir. If you want to leave a message, you can at [phone]. #ViralVoicemail

13/ How would the pandemic have affected the outcome of the Democratic primary if it had happened earlier? Would voters have responded differently to the candidates? That's what this fellow is wondering. Leave your thoughts at [phone]. #viralvoicemail

14/ This man's mom is a healthcare worker. "She works at the hospital. My mom is also a two-time cancer survivor. She has one long she's been through chemo. But she's made the difficult decision to continue working." Leave your thoughts at [phone]. #viralvoicemail

15/ A person who has been homeless thinks that maybe this situation may inspire people to rethink how we organize society- "I see that we are about to go through a new age of enlightenment, where everyone is in this same position of loss." Leave your thoughts at [phone].

16/ Another call from Washington state, a small town outside of Seattle. Unable to see her stepfather who just passed away, unable to see her grandkids, she hopes the government will act to help small business and people without resources. Leave your thoughts at [phone].

17/ This call is from teacher at an online school in California. "Most of my classes that are primarily one on one classes are basically de facto mental health sessions for those kids." Leave your thoughts at [phone].

18/ This woman from Gulf Shores, Alabama is feeling ill- she's not sure what she has- and she is worried about who will help her family, since she does not get paid sick leave and her family doesn't have many resources. Leave your thoughts at [phone]. #viralvoicemail

19/ This young man just lost his job in Vegas, where he worked behind the scenes in automation and staging of performances. He feels his life plan is now unknown- for now he is hoping to get back on his parent's healthcare. Leave your thoughts at [phone]. #viralvoicemail

20/ Wow. "I currently work in the death care industry in Northern California. Currently. We are seeing an influx of acute respiratory failure as the main cause of death. Due to the lack of testing. We do not know if these cases are actually coronavirus or not." #viralvoicemail

21/ This caller is in central North Carolina, and while she is "seeing the best and worst", she notes "it's fun to see families who are home and figuring out how to be families again." Feel free to leave your message at
(929) 314-4250 #viralvoicemail

22/ "Probably like a lot of people I love a few people who are really vulnerable. It's really really hard. It's really really hard, and scary." Leave your message at [phone]

23/ "People who feel as though it's safer for you to go out than the elderly or the compromised... I think that those of us who are healthy and are going out for whatever reason to offer to our neighbors... for those that don't have family" to take care of them. #viralvoicemail

24/ "My mom won't stay home which is scaring the crap out of me... I've found a lot of comfort in reading about 1918, which I didn't expect to find.... a lot of stuff we are seeing now happened then, and they had a World War to deal with, too." Leave your message [phone]

25/ "The day my son was sent home from school I received a neuropsych evaluation for my youngest son that ... told us he could no longer continue at his current school, so now I have to figure out what happens if he never returns to his current school, never gets to say goodbye."

26/ "I have a son who is graduating from college this May and we are sitting down seriously and looking into applying for graduate programs because we are afraid he's not going to be able to find a job." Leave your message at [phone] #viralvoicemail

27/ "I'm a late 20-something living in New York City. I'm lucky I have a stable job... but underlying all of this for me is essentially a sadness, you know?" Leave your message at [phone] #viralvoicemail

28/ "This is a mother calling from Seattle... I have an 11 year old and a 13 year old. I just got groceries delivered, and they told me ... they are going to be running out of meat in a couple of days... I'm trying to not look too far ahead." Leave a message at [phone]

29/ The big picture: "It feels like it's, you know, forty, fifty years of American policy decisions have now come home to roost and we're on the short end of the world's shortest stick now." Leave a message at [phone] #viralvoicemail

30/ "I'm calling from New York City and I'm primarily concerned that people are here not taking it very seriously... I'm very concerned that we are sitting on a ticking time bomb and could end up being one of the worse epicenters of the virus." Leave a message at [phone]

31/ "I'm a psychologist at a military treatment facility.... I think they are unprepared for the wave that is coming." Leave a message at [phone] #viralvoicemail

32/ "My parents are still going to work... what's even more concerning is that my grandma lives in Spain, and Grandma is not doing so well... she's definitely a lot more vulnerable to coronavirus... It's just the first week!" Leave a message at [phone] #viralvoicemail

33/ "I live in southeastern Arizona, a pretty small town... my biggest concern is the fact that Arizona just isn't testing people.... we have a huge retiree population in this state." Leave a message at [phone] #viralvoicemail

34/ "...recently diagnosed as autistic- never been able to hold down a job in my life. February, I finally get a job with a company that knows I have autism... was doing a good job in training, and then I got laid off... when are we going to realize we are all connected?"

35/ "We worry about my brother who is an aspiring actor and bartender in New York. I think he himself is going to be fine- we can financially support him for a little while...." Leave a message at [phone] #viralvoicemail

36/ (Part One) "I feel like my mind has been racing for the past two weeks... it makes me so angry and upset to see people not complying with this social distancing thing..."

37/ (Part Two) "It sounds ridiculous to even say this... but I'm really scared of how our social lives will be disrupted for up to a year... so little contact is so important to me. Being able to hug my loved ones, hugging my mom, hugging my friends- that's so important to me."

38/ "I have been sick for about two weeks- I'm not really sure what with because my doctor's office won't let me come in and my urgent care sent me home two weeks ago... my husband recently lost his job because of the coronavirus, and my Mom's hours just got cut." [phone]

39/ "I live in Salt Lake City area, and we just had an earthquake this morning... so, it's been one crisis on top of the other.... I feel like it's completely out of control, ... my coworkers, we've actually become a community of family through this thing." [phone]

40/ "I'm 50 years old, and on Saturday I made the decision to self-isolate... because I'm immunocompromised. At noon, I got really sick.... I'm now waiting for my test results. I'm racked with guilt because I don't know what I missed." Call 929-314-4250 & leave a #viralvoicemail

41/ "I think what was most disappointing & surprising for me was... privilege that parents had expressed about how this is going to devastate their children's lives & all these years of money that has been spent & getting their kids prepared for this moment to apply to colleges."

42/ "I'm calling from Alaska- we are not seeing any growing cases up here and the state has been really really proactive about putting into place things to prevent this from spreading even earlier than Washington and even earlier than the federal government." [phone]