“You might think you’re being safe, but I thought that too. Someone I came in contact with wasn’t. That’s why I’m sick. Someone didn’t wash their hands or cover their mouth. They didn’t avoid public places. They carried on like normal.”
‘How did this happen?’ I was compliant. I self quarantined early out of precaution. I thought I followed the rules.’: Woman tests positive for coronavirus, ‘I don’t wish this illness onto anyone’
‘I keep hearing, ‘Stop complaining, this is what you signed up for.’ We did not sign on to care of others without being properly protected ourselves.’: Nurse urges ‘understand the risks we’re taking against this illness’
“Telling a nurse who is showing up for work every day, bravely walking into a COVID-19 rule out room without proper protection, is the equivalent to telling a police officer they signed up to be an officer without a bullet proof vest and gun, a firefighter they signed up to combat fire without water, or a solider they signed up to go to war without weapon.”
‘My friends have children that are dying. 8 separate friends received devastating news this week, and they’re waiting for the inevitable.’: Woman urges ‘find your suffering friends and show them they are seen’
“We’re separated by a glass wall — those who can see the suffering but don’t know what to do with it are on one side. Grief is on the other side. Take a sledgehammer to that glass wall. Find the people who are scared. Find the friends who are depressed, the person overwrought with terrible grief. Show them they are seen and they are worthy.”
‘Both our kids suddenly had a very high temperature. Then the dry cough started and in that second, I knew what we were dealing with.’: Siblings test positive for coronavirus, ‘Please don’t take this lightly’
“We are a fit and healthy family. We eat well. We exercise. The fevers didn’t come down even after meds. Then the dry cough started. I kept hearing, ‘Kids don’t get sick.’ The doctor came out in full protective gear and said, ‘They’re positive.’ Our kids had been symptom free and up to the minute they got so unwell.”
‘Tonight is the last night I’ll hug my kids goodnight or kiss my husband until god knows when. Please end this thing. My arms stay empty every day you don’t.’: ER nurse shares reality of pandemic on family life, ‘I’m doing my part, please do yours’
“Starting tomorrow, I’ll come home from work through my laundry room door. I’ll strip naked, including shoes, and put everything straight into the washing machine. I’ll sanitize everything I touched, then hand sanitize. The odds of me being exposed are now a 100% guarantee. For weeks, months, I won’t be able to receive the human touch of love from the people who love me most. This will be my life, every day.”
‘His ribs were poking through. He was struggling to breathe. ‘We cannot test him. He doesn’t meet the criteria.’: Health care provider urges ‘stop the birthday parties, stop the play dates’ as son battles for his life
“This is the face of a health care provider and mother who is not allowed to be with her baby in the ER because she herself is extremely ill, hacking, weak, and with fever and could potentially infect others. This is the face of your fellow human being BEGGING YOU to stop the birthday parties, stop the play dates, STOP THE TRAVEL!”
‘My husband was grilling when our son knocked on the glass door crying and screaming, ‘Quarter, momma!’: Mom warns of button batteries in household after 20-month-old battles for his life
“My husband jumped up, immediately opening the door. But just as fast as my husband acted, so did my son. He ran away, swallowing what appeared to be a nickel. In a split second, our night changed. He was crying, screaming, ‘Quarter, momma!’ He then begins to gag and vomit intermittently, telling me it has not passed through his throat. It has felt like a lifetime without his hugs, kisses, and hearing his sweet voice.”
‘Ma’am, have a seat.’ I wanted to scream, ‘Look at the scar down my chest, I’m not making this up!’ but it was too late. They didn’t believe me.’: Woman finally diagnosed with invisible illness Myasthenia Gravis after 6-year battle
“I was written off as hormonal. My husband frantically demanded I be intubated. He kept screaming, ‘The oxygen levels don’t matter. She’s in a Myasthenic Crisis!’ I tried to take a breath. It was too late. All my muscles started twitching. I was flopping around on the hospital gurney uncontrollably. Suffocating. I was dying and no one was listening to my husband’s desperate pleas. I heard Code Blue called over the intercom and faded away. I didn’t wake for 2 weeks.”
‘Her body hit the floor. ‘If you want to say goodbye to your daughter, you’d better come now.’ She’d only had a bad cold the day before.’: Mom dies suddenly of congenital cardiac arrythmia, leaves behind 3 toddlers
“Brittany called to say she had a bad cold. I told her to get some rest. We said ‘I love you’ and I told her the twins were doing fine. At 8:30 a.m. we received a call from her husband. ‘It’s Britt! They’re lifeflighting her.’ At the hospital, she was just lying there, the ventilator breathing for her. ‘Please come back to us. Your babies need you.’ I held her hand. They checked her system for diet pills.”
‘A nurse looked me in the eye. ‘It’s not your fault.’ A needle dug into my arm while I fought the oxygen mask over my face.’: Woman comes back to life after dying in child birth, ‘The odds were stacked against me’
“The nurses wheeled me into the cold, brightly lit room. Panic set in as I drifted to sleep. I never got to meet my son on his birthday. Never got to be the first to look into his eyes. I went into full cardiac arrest. After 58 minutes of intense efforts to shock my heart into beating again, I was placed on life support. The day David became a dad was also the day he was faced with losing his wife. I awoke days later surrounded by tubes, wires, beeping machines, and a picture of our baby. ‘Did it not go well?’ I struggled to get the words out.”
