“My thoughts on Covid-19 as a mother and a pediatric nurse practitioner:
My kids FaceTime me every day because I haven’t seen them in a week, even though they’re just at their dad’s house, 10 minutes down the road. Even though we normally alternate back and forth every 2-3 days, I decided for now, they need to stay with him and their other mom. It’s safer for them, as I’m in the hospital everyday. And it’s also safer for the newborn babies I am taking care of every single day, who are born without much defense.
There are more and more cases all the time, and I need people to take it seriously. When I told my kids they were going to stay with their dad longer than normal, and we were going to evaluate the situation day by day, my youngest started crying and said he didn’t want me to die.
As much as I’m more concerned for my kids, my husband, and those newborns, I wasn’t as concerned for myself. However, I keep reading more and more articles about young adults being taken far too soon from this, and that makes me more concerned.
Yes, I’ll probably be fine. But what if I’m not? I’m lucky because I’ve been sanctioned to be a ‘clean provider’ to only see newborns, but even that is uncertain. Guys, people can spread this thing without even showing symptoms, or they can spread it days before symptoms show up…We need to be smart.
I can’t even imagine how horrible I would feel if I found out I’d been spreading this to my family, friends, or patients without even knowing it. This is why I’m making a sacrifice. We ALL need to make sacrifices right now, and for some that means smarten up. You’re not invincible. Take precautions.
You see all the Facebook posts from healthcare workers and how they can’t stay home, and it’s absolutely true. I’m sure I’m not alone in saying, I would much rather be home with my family than possibly exposing myself. Every day as I’m screened upon entering the hospital, setting up isolation labor rooms, setting up tents outside the hospital, and preparing for things to get horrible here any day. But I can’t. So I did what I can to protect my kids instead.
This is real, whether you believe it is or not. So I ask you to please stay home. Send your one person out for food or whatever you need, but keep everyone else home. Wash your hands. Keep a decent distance from people.
I ask this because, as people are continuing to not take this seriously, while others are risking their lives to take care of those who are seriously ill. And I’m having to tilt my FaceTime camera up to the ceiling, so my kids don’t see me starting to cry as we say goodbye…”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Carrie Lozmack. You can follow her journey on Facebook. Submit your own story here and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.
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