“It’s not glamorous. Most of the time it’s quite the opposite. Messy. Ugly. Difficult. Painful. Exhausting. You will get burnt out and want to quit. But don’t you dare forget your why. Remember, it’s so worth it.”
‘I’m going to be a nurse like you, mom!’ You are going to change the world, one patient at a time.’: Nurse pens letter to future child, ‘Healthcare needs you’
‘It started with sharp stomach pains. Two days later, I was hunched over, trying to catch my breath. My body felt like I’d ran a marathon.’: 21-year-old nurse recovering from COVID-19 urges ‘nobody is too young’
“When I arrived at the ER, that’s when things started to get critical. It’s like my body knew I was finally in the right place, in the right care, and it could stop fighting. My lips and turned blue and my oxygen dropped. I couldn’t stand up any longer. Both lungs revealed patches where COVID-19 was present.”
‘I am not sure how you do it.’ More than one child is rushed to the emergency room at once. If I’m being honest, I’m not sure either.’: Special needs mom births 3 children, fosters and adopts 8 more
“After having my own accident that caused a permanent disability, I had to advocate for myself and my kids. 8 of 11 of them are special needs. There are many days I want to pull my hair out, but I never look back and think, ‘Why me?’ I am forever grateful to be their mama.”
‘It doesn’t end for us on the frontline. You see, we take it all home with us.’: Nurse urges ‘love on your people as much as you can’
“I started my 12-hour shift with two COVID positive patients. I ended my 12-hour shift without both of them. We don’t want to take you away from your loved one. We don’t want to see your eyes fill with tears from the reality sinking in that this is probably the end. We don’t want YOU or YOUR loved one to become the next statistic.”
‘You didn’t choose to be separated from your mommy and lay to wait for a stranger to pick you up, but we, your nurses, will choose you.’: Mom pens appreciation letter to fellow nurses
“We will choose to not just complete our required tasks, but to take every free moment to hold you close. We will choose to pray over your life, for safety and protection wherever you may go. It is our joy to choose you.”
‘I was sitting on a dirty mattress on the floor of our break room weeping, covered in 3 layers of PPE.’: Nurse says ‘thank you all so much for loving me during this time’
“I am not a hero. I am a nurse. This is what we’re made to do. I fully believe God places us on this earth to love and serve others, and I am so grateful I was able to serve in this capacity.”
‘He was young but very sick. He was intubated, on multiple pressure drips, sedation and pain medications. She told me how he was OK just a few days ago.’: Nurse details recovery of stranger with Covid-19
“His eyes shot wide open and he looked at me with as much joy as someone in his condition could. I told him his wife and daughters loved him and are rooting for him. He squeezed my hand and then gave me a thumbs up.”
‘She squeezed my hand and mouthed her first words: ‘I love you.’ I started to sob. Tears were running into my N95 mask.’: Nurse gets touching thank you after COVID-19 patient survives 21-day battle
“She has been my patient from the first day our unit opened and was on a ventilator for 15 days. I stayed in the room for 15 minutes just holding her hand and sobbing. I feel my purpose of coming here was to save her life.”
‘Today I ran into an old acquaintance I haven’t seen in years. She told me, ‘You put on weight!’ Her words still cut deep today.’: Woman struggling with mental health says ‘I am more than my physical appearance’
“I never comment on anyone’s body because I know. You’re right. I have put on weight. She meant it as a compliment.”
‘Get off the frontline, you aren’t a hero.’ I wasn’t supposed to be seeing COVID patients at 8 months pregnant.’: Physician Assistant fights COVID-19 during 3rd trimester
“I heard, ‘You are a bad mother.’ ‘You’re putting your child’s life at risk.’ It is heavy, it’s raw, and it leaves us feeling incredibly vulnerable. There is no place for shame in motherhood.”
