Inspiring True Stories of Everyday Heroes

From the Frontlines of #COVID-19

The Unapologetic Voice House

• Publisher: The Unapologetic Voice House LLC
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781735974897
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Public Health, Administration & Care

Put yourself in the shoes of doctors, nurses and flight attendants with Inspiring True Stories of Everyday Heroes: From the Frontlines of #COVID-19. These stories were collected to give essential workers a place to share their experiences. In this book you will know what it felt like to go to work dressed in head-to-toe Personal Protective Equipment without knowing if thevirus will take or spare the lives of patients. You'll sense the anxiety about having to leave your family behind to fulfill your duty as a nurse. You'll feel the pride of landing your dream job as a flight attendant only to experience a global pandemic months later. You'll also feel the heartbreak of losing a family member to COVID while other family members survived it all while working as a nurse treating COVID patients.These authors are real life heroes and they don't wear capes. They are our neighbors, loved ones and friends.The Unapologetic Voice House compiled and published this anthology book. The Unapologetic Voice House is an independent publishing house on a mission to launch strong female voices and stories into the world.

Inspiring True Stories of Everyday Heroes

From the Frontlines of #COVID-19

© The Unapologetic Voice. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other— except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Cover Design: Ronda Taylor, heartworkcreative.com

ISBN: 978-1-7359748-8-0
E-Book ISBN: 978-1-7359748-9-7

Published by: The Unapologetic Voice House
www.theunapologeticvoicehouse.com

This book is dedicated to every essential worker and frontline hero who worked and continues to work through COVID-19.

Introduction

This book started as a passion project of mine. It was exactly 30 days before my wedding when an executive order for the entire state of Arizona came down that prohibited gatherings of more than 10 people.

After talking with our wedding coordinator and securing a new date in eight months, I sent out an email to our 150 guests with brand new information.

Millions of soon-to-be-brides had to send an email out like that.

Our situation wasn’t unique by any means. I mean, besides the fact that the love of my life has lung issues and is missing his spleen. COVID took that original wedding date from me, which in the big scheme of things isn’t really anything. Still, it created some sadness and grief.

And being the CEO of The Unapologetic Voice House, I felt the calling to turn my sadness into something positive.

Within a few days of Arizona receiving the next executive order to stay at home, I decided to create this anthology book giving essential workers and frontline heroes the space to share their stories.

We’ve all seen images of nurses and doctors on Instagram pleading with us to wear our masks.

The lines of their PPE is so deeply embedded on their face.

They are mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted. They are scared and at their breaking point.

Meanwhile, we haven’t seen our newborn baby nieces or nephews, our elderly parents, extended family, friends, teachers or colleagues for months.

We became homeschool teachers. Unemployed. Experts at online meetings. Confused.

And yet through it all, our gratitude to those who continue to support and serve is immense. There are so many stories from frontline heroes in your community.

Here are just a few.

Thank you for giving these heroes your time and energy.

Sincerely,

Carrie Severson

CEO

The Unapologetic Voice House

My Journey of Hope

Cyndi Searles

She was turning 103 years-old, but her family could not be there with her. The staff and employees were all wearing masks, and gowns, and face shields, and gloves. She was sitting at a table alone, eating a cupcake, when I walked into this new, uncertain way of working as a nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was my first experience in the New Jersey facility where I had voluntarily gone to offer help. And I immediately wondered what I had gotten myself into.

The residents were not allowed to interact with one another, in fact, they were required to stay in their rooms. Which meant that most of them were left in their beds because they were not able to walk on their own. The dining hall that once was bustling with activity, now sat empty. The hallways which were normally filled with people walking and in wheelchairs, and where voices and conversations could be heard, were now silent. Where once there were kind smiles, and warm touches, and time spent with each other, there was now limited touch and fear, or at least the uncertainty of catching a virus we were all unsure of.

It seemed that our entire world had changed overnight; and as time went on, we all wondered if it would ever go back to how things were. We watched the news and became more and more fearful every day. We watched the numbers increase day by day, and even watched the death toll rise in a way that had not been seen before. The sound of COVID-19 put a chill down the backs of almost everyone.

At first, I watched with the rest of the world as the number of infected people rose. I listened, trying to make sense of this new strain, and wondered what would become of it. I continued to work at my clinic in Arizona as we made changes to reflect the current situation. Even with all the changes and uncertainty, I was still thankful that I had a job after so many others had been laid off or asked to quit working. I watched as things became increasingly difficult in New York and New Jersey where there were so many people suffering and the death numbers kept rising. Then one day, I heard the call for help, the continued call for nurses, doctors, and other health care workers to help out in this time of crisis.

And then I thought, “What if I went to help?” “What if I left my comfort zone?” “What if I did this totally crazy thing?” I began to see how I could be useful, and I began to envision myself there, and I began to feel that it was my calling. And so, despite my fear and my anxiety and worry of what could happen, I answered the call to leave my husband and three kids in Arizona and go to New Jersey alone to help those on the front lines fighting some unknown enemy that appeared determined to take us out.

On April 25th, 2020, I said my tearful goodbyes at the quiet and desolate airport and wondered if I would see them again. And, if I would see them again, whether they would be healthy. I also wondered that I wouldn’t recognize them if things changed so much. I feared I was getting into something I might not be able to handle, and I feared that I would be miserable and overwhelmed and all alone on the other side of the country where I didn’t know anyone. With all these fears and uncertainties, I boarded the plane anyway; and I am so thankful that I did.

A few hours later, I stepped into the unknown. Without knowing where or if I would land, I took that first giant leap into the darkness, trusting and hoping that I would not only survive, but that I would become even stronger from my experiences. As I watched the 103 year old woman tell the staff why she should get the first cupcake, I looked out at the flag flying at half-mast, and saw her family spread out on the lawn holding up a sign that read, “Happy 103rd Birthday!” I realized then that everything had changed. These are some stories from my experience on the front lines as a nurse, and I wouldn’t change a thing!

Elliot

Elliot was a very confused resident who loved to eat and looked out for his roommate. He didn’t speak much, but he understood a lot of what was said. He had become incontinent, so he wore adult briefs and, most days, he wore a hospital gown because that was the easiest thing for him to keep on. He loved to wander the halls and did not understand the quarantine orders or what was going on. Very often, he would be up and down the hallway. He wore a baseball cap most of the time and had an enlarged belly. I can just picture him in his cap and hospital gown that was completely open at the back with his adult brief on, and he would just scratch an itch on his butt or private parts without a care in the world. It was quite humorous at times. Trying to get him to keep his oxygen tubing in his nose became a whole new issue when he became positive with COVID-19 and began to have trouble breathing.

Mary

Mary was a sweet, elderly woman with kind eyes. She would reach out her hand and loved to take my hand and put it up to her face. She would touch my face shield and ask why I had it on, and she would often start crying and state, “Don’t leave me, please don’t leave me!” And when I would ask her what was wrong, she would just cry harder. I would sit with her for a few minutes when I could, and just hold her hand and stroke her hair even though she had tested positive for COVID-19. I knew I was potentially putting myself at risk by being with her for any longer than I medically needed to be near her. She would thank me later and tell me that she appreciated the time I gave her. She was one of the fortunate ones who survived the virus.

Anthony

Anthony required feedings and medications to be given through a tube that fed into his stomach. One day, I went into his room to give him his feeding, and he said to me, “So when are we getting married?” I laughed and told him that I would need to check with my husband before I could answer his question. But almost every time he saw me, he would talk about what we would do after we got married, where we would go on our honeymoon, how beautiful I was, and how he loved me. Eventually, I just went along with it because I truly didn’t know how alert he was, and if he would even remember our conversations anyway. But he sure thought he was charming, and, thankfully, he recovered from having COVID-19 without too many effects of the virus.

Alfred

Alfred was constantly hungry. He was a resident who had messed up his brain with drugs and now needed long-term care. He reminded me of a 5 year old when he peeked his head out of his room to ask for a cookie. He would take any food left lying around, and if something went missing, we knew where it had gone. When he tested positive for COVID-19, we tried to keep him in his room, but how do you explain to someone who doesn’t understand that they can’t wander the halls and interact with anyone else, let alone get them to wear a mask on their face. We would do our best to redirect him when he did wander out, and often a snack would do the trick, but he required constant watching. Thankfully, he made a full recovery, as well.

While many of the patients did recover, some were not so fortunate, and it was terribly difficult to see them having trouble breathing and in pain because of their condition. One night, we called a code because one of the residents b...

Table of contents

• Introduction