The last few weeks have been an emotional roller coaster of fear, anger, binge snacking, staring at walls, and crying. This pandemic is scaring the crap out of everyone, and rightly so, but it’s also showing us some of the best and most poignant moments of humanity as well.
Like this Tweet from an Emergency Room nurse of an elderly man holding up a thank you sign to the medical staff who saved his wife’s life. ‘Scuse me for a minute…I…I cannot with this…
All the feels… I love my job! @TheEllenShow pic.twitter.com/228yaXVx43
— Allison S. (@allie211) March 26, 2020
The original post was published to Instagram by user @nurse_allie210 but the account is set to private.
When she took a screenshot of the post and published it on Twitter on March 25th it understandable exploded with more than 3.6K retweets and 14K likes.
“In a triage the other day, I heard a knock on the window…” began the original caption.
“This is what I saw, this man knew he couldn’t come in but he wanted to show some gratitude. I asked through the window if I could snap a picture and he nodded, he had tears pouring down his face.
I peeked out the door and asked him how his wife is, he said
‘great, she is going home today, you are all amazing.’ I don’t know him,
I don’t know his wife but throughout the last 13 years as a nurse, I realized, this is why we do it. Times are tough but we make a difference. I love my team.”
Are you in tears too? I won’t judge.
The responses to this nurse’s post have been truly heartwarming.
Like this gentleman who wants to know how he can thank doctors and nurses without risking their safety.
What can I do (aside of stay in, not hoard masks and wash my hands) to let ER folks know we appreciate them. In Vancouver they're making noise out the windows every night at the same time to say thank you.
I'd send cookies or cake or coffee if I didn't think it would scare them
— M DeMarco (@ireallyshouldbe) March 26, 2020
Or this Twitter user who hopes to see this message sent around the world.
I hope this makes you famous (in a good way) so people understand how awesome nurses and all other medical professionals are and so that you can feel all of that love! You are a hero and a rock star!!
— Displaced Texan (@texasmouth) March 26, 2020
This fellow health care worker chimed in with a message of grace. For them, saving lives isn’t about being thanked it’s about doing what needs to be done.
As healthcare professionals we’re asked to do an insurmountable amount of work, we put ourselves at risk for physically injury daily, we see a great amount of sadness – we never expect to be thanked because our patients and their families have so much else to worry about.
— sum__r (@rn_sum) March 26, 2020
And this message from this nurse in Australia where she’s seen the grateful and the ugly sides of how people feel about health care workers.
Alison, I am a nurse in Australia. I know how this tugged on the heart strings. I also know the other side too. Not all are so grateful…It is such a stressful time. #staystrong
— Beth Vogelzang (@Vogette61) March 26, 2020
Hundreds of comments have flooded the beautiful image and remind us that the folks we take for granted to be there during our most medically vulnerable times be it sickness or injury are not just clocking in to do a job.
They really are heroes.
The latest update from the Covid-19 Dashboard reveals that 515,172 people around the globe have been confirmed with Covid-19. 23,179 people have not survived this disease and have passed away. 14,462 people remain in serious condition and 114,528 people have, thankfully, recovered.
This disease now affects 190 out of all 195 countries in the world.
To stay safe, please follow the guidelines from the CDC. Wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds.
Disinfect high touch areas like door handles, remote controls, and phones. If you are sick stay home.
Cover your mouth with your elbow if you cough or sneeze. For more information on how to protect yourself or what to do if you think you are sick, visit the CDC here.