Moms, Nurses, Frontline Heroes

In honor of National Nurses week and Mother’s Day, I wanted to show some appreciation to some amazing moms I know that are working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the medical field. Motherhood alone is something that is so remarkable and deserving of celebration. These three women are not only amazing mothers, but they are amazing medical professionals working in the midst of this pandemic. Meet three moms: two nurses, and one respiratory therapist. Hear about how they are navigating through this season with their families and co-workers, hear their hopes and fears, but most of all hear the ways we can support them through what is a difficult time for all as you read through the interviews and witness the first hand accounts of the COVID-19 crisis from these frontline heroes.

MEET CRYSTAL

Crystal has been married to her husband, Nicolo, for 16 years. She is a pastor’s wife, and mama to three amazing boys ages 9, 5 and 2, as well as a nurse. If that’s not enough to occupy anyone’s time, she also runs a small t-shirt business that makes some of the cutest shirts. Check out her shop on Facebook here.  I am loving her mommy & me sets! She recently added some for the little boys too!

 

 What do you do in the medical field?

I have been a Registered Nurse for 16 years. I have worked in a few different areas of the hospital including the ICU and the ER, currently I work in a procedural department (similar to an operating room).

How has your job been affected/changed during the covid-19 pandemic?

I work at John Muir in the Bay Area. Our hospital has handled the pandemic beautifully! We have had the PPE that we need to safely do our job, although as other hospitals have done we have had to re-use our masks to preserve our supply. Typically they would strictly be one-time use. For the past several weeks we get a symptom and temperature screening before we are allowed to walk into the building. We are also required to mask at all times when in the building. As far as my job specifically, because we do a large amount of elective procedures, our schedule has been slower than normal and we have all been experiencing some level of loss of hours. Because of that, I have volunteered to be re-assigned to work at our covid-19 testing site. I am now doing a mix of covid-19 testing shifts and shifts in my regular department. Our staff have really come together as a team to support each other through all of this and I’m so glad to work where I do! My immediate co-workers are more like family!

How has this affected your family?

Our family is handling it all pretty well! I have been working more hours the past two weeks and that’s been an adjustment for my kiddos. My boys are 9, 5 & 2 and they’re very much used to mama being around a lot. I’ve been blessed to only work part time since we started our family! My husband is a CHAMP and holds down the fort like a pro when I’m at work. I couldn’t ask for a better partner. We’ve had discussions with our children about the Coronavirus and what it would look like if mommy got sick or if they subsequently got sick. We are doing our best to incorporate dialogue on responsibility, making sacrifices for the greater good & how our faith helps us navigate all these changes and concerns!

How can we support people right now in the medical field?

I have truly been blown away by the support people have shown for the medical community! I have received so many “thank you” and “praying for you” messages, coffee gift cards, etc. Companies have brought free food to the hospital. Restaurants are offering free food for pick up. Signs have been placed outside the hospital calling us hero’s. It’s overwhelming, really! I don’t feel like I’m doing anything out of the ordinary and I think most healthcare workers you talk to will say the same. We’re just doing our job. But if you really feel like you need to do something tangible, coffee is always a good idea.

What would you like people to know during this crisis?

We have had the same mindset since the beginning of all of this. Faith over fear. Wisdom over worry. Prayer over panic. I actually have a shirt that says this, lol. It may seem cliche, but sometimes the simplest words can help settle your heart! We all may have been blind sided by this pandemic and the major life changes we’re walking through, but God is not surprised. We choose to trust Him in the uncertainty and be open to what He wants to do IN us and THROUGH us during this time!

 

MEET WHITNEY

Whitney has been married to her husband James for 4 years. He was her teenage crush from youth group and they reconnected later in life. Everyone say, “Awwww”. She has 3 step daughters ages 15, 14, and 12, as well as a 2 year old son with a baby on the way! Can you say super mom? She enjoys playing outside with her son who’s 24/7 on the move, finding ways to detoxify her life by making healthy choices in makeup, food, cleaning products, etc.  and in the very few moments she has to herself, she loves to sit at her piano to sing and write worship music.

  What do you do in the medical field?

I am an ICU nurse and have been working in acute care for the past 9 years.

How has your job been affected/changed during the covid-19 pandemic?

In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, several things have changed. The hospital now screens all employees for temperature before entering the building. Patients that have a fever or any respiratory symptoms at all are being tested and put on isolation. To care for these patients, we wear hazmat suits, masks, and face shields. One of the problems we are having with this is the lack of supply of protective equipment. They are all supposed to be one time use items, but we are reusing them for days on end. The other impact is that there are no visitors allowed at all in the hospital unless there is a death or end of life decision to be made. Working in the ICU it’s very difficult to explain critical situations over the phone to families and for patients not to have their loved ones there to support them in the healing process. 

 

How has this affected your family?

My family has been extremely supportive during this pandemic. They have managed the home front while I’m on the frontlines. Also, with sports and school being cancelled, we’ve actually become a lot closer as a family; playing games, going outdoors, interacting more with each other instead of just being caught up in the business and go-go-go that our normal life usually is. It’s been an unexpected blessing in a lot of ways. 

 

What would you like people to know during this crisis?

What I would like people to know during this crisis is that there is a lot of information out there. Much of it is conflicting. No one seems to have any definitive answers, but we are definitely seeing more people recover than not. 

MEET AMBER

Amber has been married for 3 years to her husband, Mario  who is as clinical manager/paramedic. She has 2 children, a little boy age 3 and a little girl age 1, and of course, we can’t forget about their dog, Bailee. Amber enjoys running and working out, camping, sewing and crafts, as well as interior design.

What do you do in the medical field? 

I am a Registered Respiratory Therapist. I am specifically trained in critical care, cardiopulmonary medicine, and neonatal/pediatric care. I work all over the hospital including Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Respiratory Intensive Care Unit, Emergency Room, and all the areas in between to help patients breathe better; whether it be with medication, oxygen, noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (BiPAP or CPAP), or placing the tube for life support.  I draw arterial blood and analyze it to assess the oxygen contents and the patient’s ventilation. I go to c-sections and high risk deliveries and assist with resuscitating the baby. I intubate and manage the airway and ventilator (also known as “life support”). 

How has your job been affected/changed during the covid-19 pandemic?

Being 100% honest here, our hospital census has dropped significantly since the pandemic started. However, the acuity of patients has increased. The patients we have are VERY sick. And keep us (all healthcare providers) VERY busy. Being a respiratory therapist, I care for EVERY patient that is suspected or confirmed with COVID19. These patients require us to don and doff personal protective equipment (PPE) when entering and exiting a room which is time consuming in itself, but then the care for the patient is intricate and specialized. These patients are on high ventilator settings and increased oxygen to preserve brain and tissue health. Sometimes we even have to strap the patient into a special bed that flips them into a prone position (on their belly) to help with oxygenation. It is important when doing this that attention is paid to all IV lines and the breathing tube because if dislodged or removed, the patient could die. 

As for the work environment, it’s very high stress, fear, and tension. Healthcare workers see how serious this virus is and we live in fear of contracting it and passing it off to our friends and families. Tensions run high because we are rationed out PPE and expected by administration to reuse dirty masks we’ve worn into patient rooms. This makes us (healthcare providers) literally argue over masks and who deserves/needs them. All the while, we just want to provide the best care to our patients while not acquiring the virus ourselves and getting sick or passing it on to other vulnerable patients or our own friends and family. 

How has this affected your family?

Everyday I come home with a fear that I may have the virus or carry it on me and could possibly transmit it to my family. I do my best to be careful and clean and sanitize myself to the best of my abilities, but there’s always this fear of still passing it on. I’m probably not as loving or affectionate with my family since this pandemic started because of this.

How can we support people right now in the medical field?

The best thing right now is to be understanding. Not all areas are the same. New York is super overwhelmed while other areas, such as here, are not quite as overwhelmed. Here we are laying off essential healthcare workers because it’s not as busy (census wise) as normal. This is causing fear amongst healthcare providers. So now we not only have this fear of this deadly virus, but of losing our jobs as well. This emphasizes the need for understanding, we in the field deal with our anxieties, stresses, and fears through humor and off-handed comments that may not always be perceived as appropriate to those outside of the field.

Personally, I think the premise of TikTok videos made in the workplace makes it come across to the general public that we aren’t busy and are unprofessional, however, I see the other side as well and I know we take our free time and utilize it to cope and destress.

Also, if you see us in public, don’t treat us like lepers. I guarantee we all do what we can to ensure we don’t acquire the virus or transmit it to anyone else including our friends, family, and even strangers. Some of us even shower at work and change into clean scrubs if we aren’t able to go home prior to running necessary errands. So just because you see someone wearing scrubs, doesn’t mean we are “dirty.” 

What would you like people to know during this crisis?

Please STAY HOME unless it’s necessary. And THANK YOU to those of you that have been! I know it’s not easy (because I have to do it myself on my days off with my kids) but we are all in this together and we WILL overcome this and be a better, stronger community after. Also, please for the love of sanitation, don’t wear gloves then touch everything like your phone, shopping cart, face, etc. This is called cross contamination and it makes wearing your gloves pointless.