“I’m more uncomfortable in the grocery store, without my mask and gloves or hand sanitizer, than I am at the hospital. To the people dropping off masks and food for those of us on the front lines, we appreciate it more than you know.”
‘We picked up our food and the girl at the register bagging up the food had a cough! She was coughing and packing people’s orders!’: Nurse thanks community for acts of kindness, ‘This is not a drill’
‘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.”
‘I cried in my car for an hour today. I think, ‘I have NO idea why I became a nurse.’ I am dispensable…just a number on payroll EASILY replaced.’: Nurse says ‘remember no one’s out here taking care of me’
“I’ve been up since 3 in the morning. I was tired, and then got yelled at first thing. No matter how hard you work…how many hours you put in…it never seems to be enough. And it hurts. Today, I really can’t tell you why I’m a nurse.”
‘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.”
‘You’re going to be staying with your dad longer than normal.’ I haven’t seen my kids in a week. I tilt my camera to the ceiling so they can’t see me cry as we say goodbye.’: Pediatric nurse practitioner urges ‘we all need to make sacrifices’
“My youngest immediately started crying and said, ‘I don’t want you to die.’ Every day I am in the hospital. My kids can only FaceTime me. I tilt my camera to the ceiling so they can’t see me cry as we say goodbye.”
‘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.”
‘I went to the hospital in labor. All the doors were locked. Our baby decided to come early. We escaped with a ‘normal’ birth experience by the skin of our teeth.’: Mom grateful son’s birth timing was ‘untainted by the coronavirus’
“I held my breath on the way out. Within 24 hours of our arrival home, the L&D ward where we had our sweet boy changed all their restrictions. Had he come one day later, my 4-year-old daughter wouldn’t have met her baby brother at the hospital. All those special moments would have been put on hold, lost forever. We hit the curve of timing by the skin of our teeth.”
‘She paused from petting and looked up at me, she said, ‘Can he pray with me?’ I said, ‘Of course.’: Woman says ‘therapy dogs are desperately waiting to hear the words, ‘It’s time for work’
“They are desperately waiting to hear the words, ‘It’s time for work. Hop in the car! Let’s go to the hospital,’ so they can go back to doing what they love most, visiting patients. For many patients, their rooms are flooded with flowers and family. For others, a therapy dog is their first visitor in months.”
‘It’s time to check on your pregnant friends, too – because their babies will be born, even if the rest of the world is shutting down.’: Birth doula urges to expecting moms ‘you are NOT alone, don’t let fear win’
“Preventing a birthing person from having their support team with them – not even a spouse, but ALSO not their doula, trained and contracted to provide them with emotional and physical comfort – is traumatic and brutal, plain and simple.”
‘It’s just a flu. It only affects old people.’ You’re weeks away from Italy. Millions of people must change their behavior, today.’: Woman explains why COVID-19 has ‘brought Italy to its knees’
“Push for the entire office to work at home. Cancel birthday parties and other gatherings. Stay home as much as you can. If you have a fever, any fever, stay home. Push for school closures, now. If you do these things now, you can buy your medical system time. You have a chance to make a difference and stop the spread in your country.”
