I had a different start this year — a newness unlike any before — one I’m having trouble categorizing, as it may fall into the miraculous, carrying as it does elements of divine intervention.

I’m not sure of that, but I’ve taken no chances and covered the possibility with more than one prayer of thanks.

But I know this for sure: The insightful, fast, coordinated action of some very caring, competent people got me out of a lot of trouble. What they did and the tools they used were without question miraculous.

Here’s the story.

My wife and I were looking forward to spending Christmas with my son and his partner in Chicago. On Dec. 22, we traveled there to be with them.

On the day after Christmas, I felt small bumps on the inside of my left cheek. An examination of the area revealed a couple blood blisters. They had grown in size the next day and others were present on the opposite cheek. I also had unaccounted-for bruises on my arms and hands.

Strange.

Later I didn’t feel so well. The blisters continued, somewhat enlarged, and small red dots began appearing on my arms, feet, and legs.

When we got back to Alpena, I went to MyMichigan Family Clinic. They fit me in to see Rachel Savage, FNP- C, MSN. She had never seen me before.

She didn’t like what she saw and ordered blood tests at the hospital to secure results as quickly as possible. She also arranged an appointment to see Dr. William Hitzelberger, a hematologist — one was scheduled for Jan. 9.

After I left Rachel’s office, Nikita Lutey, Dr. Hitzelberger’s medical assistant — concerned with aspects of my referral — phoned Rachel back to discuss my case and arranged an earlier appointment. Betsy Borowicz, the cancer center scheduling gal, personally tracked me down in the hospital lab waiting room to advise that I would see the doctor at 3 p.m. that day.

After my blood was drawn, I left the hospital and ran a few errands, arriving home about 45 minutes later. My wife met me at the door to advise that medical assistant Lutey had called and I was to get to the hospital — the doctor would see me immediately.

I was having a nosebleed that wouldn’t stop.

Away we went.

This is what I learned: An average person’s blood platelet count — that blood component responsible for its clotting ability — runs in a range between 150,000/UL (microliters) and 450,000/UL.

My blood test showed 1,000/UL!

Within minutes, I began receiving a massive infusion of a powerful drug to counteract the destruction of my blood platelets by my body’s immune system. I was attacking myself!

As I said, it was a different start to the New Year.

I have an autoimmune disease — thrombocytopenia (ITP). It’s rare, and all the more reason I’m so impressed with the speed with which it was identified.

My body, for reasons not well understood, was attacking itself.

My mother had suffered from a similar affliction later in her life. Though my condition is rare, autoimmune afflictions are not so uncommon in their various forms: lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and others.

That so many competent people worked together to get me the help I needed as fast as they did on the eve of a holiday was a professional, caring performance I shall never forget.

***

I recently received a letter from my state rep, Sue Allor. I always envision Sue smiling. She seems like a lovely lady.

But her letter isn’t.

I must now take drugs that diminish my immune system’s effectiveness, leaving me with a greater risk of contracting COVID-19. Many others in this community are similarly situated.

In her letter, Rep. Allor pointed with pride to her continuing efforts to prevent requiring the administration of a cure — a simple COVID 19 vaccine — or even requiring a demonstration of its non-administration so others could protect themselves against the threat that failure poses.

She asserts her motivation is to protect my freedom. It doesn’t. It threatens my life.

Let me be clear: If I had the choice of voting for a deer tick or Ms. Allor, I would vote the tick.

I can defend myself against a deer tick; I know it wants to hurt me, and I know what to do to protect myself, but that smile and Ms. Allor’s freedom thing — that’s not so easy.

Hundreds of thousands of people have died unnecessarily. This because many have refused to accept the responsibility of co-existence in a communal society where we must, of necessity, care about each other.

Some call it decency — others Christianity — still others refer to it as a coordinated effort for the common good, but it’s simply this — survival.

COVID-19 is the latest in a series of organisms that made the animal-human “jump”: swine flu, bird flu, SARS, MERS, HIV-AIDS, and ebola — all have previously done so.

I wasn’t unaware of this until recently, but measles and smallpox are of this variety, as well. Many of these guys are big volume killers.

Other forms will come — we can count on that — and, when they do, if we continue to fashion and follow ineffective political responses such as those advocated by Rep. Allor, the only freedom granted will be to the life-threatening organisms —

To wipe our hospital floors with the blood of our children and our grandchildren.

Doug Pugh’s “Vignettes” runs weekly on Saturdays. He can be reached at pughda@gmail.com.