DR. BRENT MCQUAID, 14:04:37
"WE HAVE A VOLUNTEER GROUP OF
NURSES, RESPIRATORY THERAPISTS,
PHARMACISTS, SPEECH
THERAPISTS, DOCTORS PEOPLE WHO
WANT TO BE HERE, PEOPLE WHO WANT
TO BE PART OF WANT TO FIGHT
THIS." WHEN CONE HEALTH
ASSEMBLED ITS STAFF AT ITS
COVID-DEDICATED HOSPITAL ...
KELLY DUFFY, NURSE, 12:20:07
"IT IS THE ALL-STARS OF NURSES."
<BOB
IT WAS A NEW EXPERIENCE FOR
EVERY ONE OF THEM . BUT FOR
RELATIVELY NEW NURSES, LIKE
CAMERON HOWARD .
"IT'S BAPTISM BY FIRE FOR YOU."
"ESPECIALLY THE LAST COUPLE OF
MONTHS, I'VE SEEN A LOT."
BOB
THEY WORK 12-HOUR SHIFTS OF PURE
STRESS, ESPECIALLY IN THE EARLY
DAYS.
'STRESSFUL .'
"BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T QUITE KNOW
WHAT TO TREAT OR HOW TO
TREAT OR EVEN WHAT TO LOOK FOR."
BOB
AT FIRST, THEY WERE MOSTLY
DEALING WITH ANONYMOUS FACES,
BUT:
"AS TIME HAS GONE ON, I'VE
GOTTEN A CALL, 'HEY, WAQIAH, MY
NEIGHBOR IS IN YOUR HOSPITAL.
HEY, WAQIAH, I'M A NURSE THAT
USE
TO WORK WITH YOU, DO YOU
REMEMBER ME? I'M IN YOUR
HOSPITAL.'"
EVENTUALLY ALL OF THEM BECOME .
FAMILY.
"HAVING COVID, YOUR LENGTH OF
HOSPITAL STAY IS MUCH LONGER
THAN THE AVERAGE TWO TO THREE
DAYS, UM, SO YOU DO GET TO
KNOW THEM."
BOB
IN A WAY THAT ONLY THE CRUCIBLE
OF NEAR DEATH CAN.
"YOU SPEND YOUR DAY WITH PEOPLE
AT SOME OF THE WORST PARTS OF
THEIR LIFE."
"YEAH, YEAH ."
"WE HAVE DEVELOPED RELATIONSHIPS
WITH SO MANY OF OUR PATIENTS
BECAUSE THEY'RE THERE WITH US
FOR A LONG TIME IN THE ICU."
HAYWARD PARKER WAS THERE ...
"I'VE NEVER BEEN THIS SICK,
BEFORE, IN MY LIFE."
BOB
. FOR WEEKS.
"WHEN I WAS ON THE VENTILATOR,
MY LUNGS STARTED BLEEDING AND
THEY CALLED MY WIFE AND TOLD HER
THAT I WOULDN'T MAKE IT
THROUGH THE NIGHT."
"WHAT GOES THROUGH A WIFE'S
MIND?" "I WAS DEVASTATED.
I WOULD FACETIME, EVERY DAY, AND
SAY, 'JUST PUT THE
PHONE TO HIS EAR,' BECAUSE I
BELIEVE HE COULD HEAR ME, SO I
COULD TALK TO HIM I'M SORRY,
I'M GETTING UPSET."
BOB
HER HUSBAND WAS JUST 51
HEALTHY . BUT WAS SO
DEVASTATED BY THIS VIRUS THAT HE
HAD TO LEARN TO WALK AGAIN.
BOB
THEY NEVER LOST FAITH ...
"NO MATTER WHAT THE DOCTORS SAY,
I WAS STILL SAYING GOD HAS THE
LAST
SAY."
"ARE YOU A CHANGED MAN?"
"I'M DEFINITELY A CHANGED MAN BY
THIS." BOB
AND ARE FOREVER THANKFUL TO THE
MEDICAL TEAM THAT SAW THEM
THROUGH.
"THIS IS AN ISOLATING DISEASE
THESE PEOPLE CAN'T HAVE VISITORS
SO, WHEN THEY GET SICK,
THEY'RE ON THEIR OWN."
"I THINK THAT WE ALL FEEL LIKE
WE'RE LIFELINES FOR, FOR OUR
PATIENTS."
"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE'VE
BECOME IS THEIR SURROGATE
FAMILY.
YOU KNOW, THEIR FAMILY CAN'T
EVEN BE THERE TO HOLD THEIR HAND
.
. SO I ALWAYS TELL THEM, I SAID,
I KNOW I'M NOT YOUR FAMILY BUT
I'M GOING TO TRY TO BE THE NEXT
BEST THING."
BOB
DIFFICULT WORK BUT, IN THE END .
THERE'S NOT PLACE THEY
WOULD RATHER BE.
"WE HAVE ONE NURSE THAT SAYS,
'HOW COULD I LOOK BACK IN
TWENTY YEARS AND SAY I SAT THIS
ONE OUT'?"
"THIS IS SOMETHING THAT OUR TEAM
WILL NEVER FORGET. YOU KNOW, I
LOOK FORWARD TO THE DAY THAT I'M
NEAR RETIREMENT AND I
LOOK BACK AND REMEMBER BEING
PART OF THIS TEAM."
KATIE
THERE'S A LOT OF STRESS, BEING
PART OF THAT TEAM. TOMORROW
NIGHT, SEE HOW ONE NURSE KEEPS
HERSELF FIT -
BOTH PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY -
WHEN DEATH IS PART OF THEIR
EVERYDAY LIFE.
