 Welcome to a special edition of Yes, We're Here. Ian Joy here, once again today's guest. It's normally setting up my meetings or interviews, but today I get the opportunity to interview her. Nicole Shietzinger, Senior Director of Media Relations for New York City Football Club. First and foremost, Nicole, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you, I feel so honored to be able to be on this side of things for once. All right, it's great to have you here. We're talking COVID-19, and of course, you came down with the sickness or the virus, should we say. But I want to go all the way back to something a little bit more personal. I was with you all the way back on March 11th. And one of the instructions you gave me was, let's go have some fun with the fans. There's 10,000 fans here, let's go in. We'll mix it with the supporters. So we did exactly that for 45 minutes and you look perfectly fine. What happened after that game on March 11th? Well, I was completely fine. Honestly, I genuinely think that a few days later I was riding the subway before everything started shutting down. And I specifically remember that there was someone coughing next to me. And I got a little worried, but I also thought, you know, everyone's on the subway, it's fine. And then a few days after that, I started feeling a little bit of a scratchy throat and I got a headache. But I actually didn't think I had the virus because I didn't have a fever and I didn't have a cough. So I didn't think too much of it until I woke up with a pounding headache one night and I never get headaches. And that's when I kind of thought something was wrong. So I reached out to my doctor at that point to tell me. So what date was that then that you actually figured out, okay, there's something not quite right here. And then how long did it take for you to then go ahead and get a test? Yeah, so on March, probably 18th is when I just started feeling not great. And then I called my doctor and I have an underlying health condition. So that's really why I was worried because of course, as they say, most people recover and they're completely fine, but knowing that I had an underlying health condition, I was a little worried. So I called my doctor and he suggested that I go to a walk-in clinic because at the very least they could do a flu test to make sure that it wasn't the flu. And so I went on March 19th to get a flu test. And when it came back negative 10 minutes later, they actually gave me the coronavirus test there. And then again, because I have the condition, they wanted to make sure that I didn't have it. So you were experiencing the headaches, but what are some of the other symptoms that you were experiencing? Yeah, I mean, I was very, very thirsty. That was unbelievably thirsty. I couldn't drink enough water. I was really tired, but it almost felt like I'd run a marathon, which I never have done, but it felt like I might have run a marathon. And my body hurt a bit. It was just weird symptoms, but because I didn't have the fever, the cough, I wasn't that worried until I got the crazy headache. And then I lost my sense of smell and taste, which they are recording now too as one of the major symptoms. So that was pretty rough, to be honest, that part too. So how was it at home for you? I know, of course, your husband, Evan, a huge follower of New York City Football Club and a big watcher of the Yes Network. And also your daughter Sloan, were they affected by this as well? Yeah, so it was honestly, I genuinely don't know, looking back, I don't know how we were able to manage because Evan got sick two days after I got sick. So that was before I knew for sure that I had the virus. And so he came down with a fever and a cough, the very deep, deep cough. So that's how I knew before my results even came back. That's really how I knew that I did have the virus because he had the typical symptoms. And so we were home alone with her. We didn't want anyone else to take care of her because we were scared that she would give the virus to someone else. And that's obviously not a good thing. So we took care of her and it was just two weeks of a blur, just running around but trying to take care of ourselves. I don't know how we did it. It was hard, but obviously we're very grateful that we were able to recover and she was fine. I honestly couldn't even begin to imagine. It sounds such a scary thing between your young family there as well. Now, of course you go through the period of time where the virus runs through, then you get the old clear. What happens then after you get the old clear from the doctors? Yeah, I mean, really what I, from the very beginning, once I knew that I had the virus and I realized that we were going to recover and be fine, I wanted to help because it's, especially in New York, you hear and see all these stories on TV about how immunocompromised people can't go outside and senior citizens are scared. And I just, I wanted to help. So my first priority was donating, being able to donate my blood and for the plasma studies that they're doing to be able to help people that are in the hospital and aren't as fortunate as Evan and I were to recover. And then also, like I said, with the senior citizens, trying to get them the food that they need because it is a scary time and they're worried about going outside. So we signed up to deliver groceries and that's been really rewarding. I've gotten some amazing messages from people. So it's been nice to be able to help and give back. I mean, that's fantastic for you, Nicole, for what you have done for the community helping out and also taking it one step further and donating your plasma. I mean, that is quite incredible. So massive pat on the back for doing that and thank you for that. But what about a mask now? Do you have to continue to wear a mask? And how do people know that you've had it so that they would need to worry about that you've actually not going to pass it to somebody else now? No, it's a great question. I mean, there's a couple of things. One, when I went to donate my blood out Mount Sinai for the study that they're doing, the first thing they do is test you for antibodies. So we got the results back. And so we have, I personally have four times the amount of antibodies that you need in Evan who had the virus. He had a much worse experience in me. He has 10 times the amount of antibodies. So we know that we have the documentation that says that not that we've ever had to present it, but we do, you know, I respect for everyone else. It's a very scary time. And although we feel as though we're okay, we still wear the gloves, you know, mentally we're not as scared because just knowing we've been through it, but we still follow all the rules and we want to make sure that other people who don't know our story, you know, don't feel as though we're breaking the rules. Yeah, I mean, it's been a tremendous impact you've had on social media. And thank you for putting it out there. I think it's been well respected by many people. Have you also had communication with other people who have actually gone through the virus? Yeah, actually, a lot of people reached out to me. At first, honestly, I was worried about posting it, but I just wanted to help because especially I grew up in California and while everyone in New York feels it day in and day out in California, it's just especially in San Diego where I'm from, it's not something that everyone's, you know, seeing firsthand. So a lot of people are scared. And I've had so many people reach out to me, friends of friends, just everything from, hey, I wasn't able to get a test, but these are my symptoms. Do you think I had it? And, you know, I would say, look, I'm not a doctor, but based on what you're saying and based on my experience and my husband's experience, it does sound like you might have had it. And then people, I've gotten so many requests to go donate my blood to help either their parents or a friend's parents or someone who's asking for blood donation, you know, because they have someone in the hospital who's on a ventilator. So the first thing I have to see is if my blood type matches the blood type that they're looking for and there have been some cases. So, you know, I'm trying to work that out as well to be able, even if I have to travel a little bit to be able to donate, like I'm completely willing to do that because if it can save someone's life, you know, that's the most important thing. So, yeah. So you moved from California and don't think you're getting away just about talking COVID-19. You moved from California to New York. You're now settled in New York. You're a big figure in the sports world now, especially on the media side of things. How impressed are you with the way that New York has handled this situation? Because at first, for me, I thought it was going to be difficult to get many people to be disciplined to stay inside, but it's been quite remarkable, the reaction from people. Yeah, I never failed to be impressed by New Yorkers in general, just the mentality. I do feel like New York Tough is such a good motto for everyone to live by. And look, I wasn't here in 2001 for 9-11, but from the stories I heard, you know, how resilient the people were and how everyone came together. And then I actually moved to New York in 2008, at the end of 2008, during the financial crisis. And I saw how people came together and were strong. So I'm actually not that surprised. I think New Yorkers, they are the toughest people around and you'll soon find that out, Ian. And so it's great. It feels like a community and everyone looks out for each other. And I'm really happy and proud to call myself a New Yorker, though my parents secretly hope that I'll move back to California one day. Well, selfishly, I hope you stay in New York and go home. Thank you so much for the time. No problem. Thanks for having me.