Our father was hospitalized last month prior to losing his life to Coronavirus. Having any loved one in the hospital is excruciatingly painful as you could imagine however in these times, that pain is multiplied with the safety measures that must be taken in an attempt to maintain some control over this pandemic. It feels as if we rip a piece of our heart and hand it over to hospital staff to care for- not just entrusting for medical care but in these times, emotional, psychological, and spiritual as well. I imagine for nurses and hospital staff, the challenges and pains of the important care they provide are also multiplied as we all navigate the unknown powers of this illness, and its devastating effects. Yet through his entire stay, many nurses at MMC went above and beyond in connecting us through information and allowing us to come to Dad's street-side window to visit, even when they probably felt scrutinized as they did their work. My heart will forever be grateful for the compassion and care they provided my father in his last days.
One particular nurse who will always hold a piece of my heart is Deanne, from ICU. My dearest Deanne, I can't express the gratitude my heart feels for the compassion and love you gave to my father in his last breaths. Watching you calmly stand by him, patiently, lovingly stroke his hair as the hands of his family who were all at the windowsill watching, waiting, there are no words to describe. At that moment, you became an extension of our love, a vessel of compassion and despite the physical barriers between us, one could not differentiate where our bodies ended and yours began for at that moment, we were one. I know your 'job' is to provide medical care and though you did that well, what you provided was beyond what could ever be articulated into a job description. Our hearts are FOREVER grateful for you becoming SO MUCH more than what you signed up for.
I KNOW it is not easy to watch so many succumb to this horrific illness. I imagine watching so many lives robbed by COVID can be mentally and emotionally exhausting and disheartening for a person in your field. But I want you to know that even though COVID may have won the 'battle' by ushering in earlier death, it did NOT win the 'war'. For it is not how we die that defines our existence, but how we live. And despite the physical barriers and all, because of you, COVID failed to rob my Father of the LOVE that defined his LIFE.
Thank you, Deanne, from ICU. Your heart is forever engraved into mine. Your love and compassion is the strongest weapon in this pandemic because it is the one thing that CANNOT be robbed by illness or even death. You inspire us to keep pressing forward. For You, I am eternally grateful.