Stephanie Duddy Weinwurm is a registered nurse who has a 4 year-old son and she is married to a firefighter/paramedic.
Yesterday she posted the following on her Facebook page:
“I’ve been wanting to post all weekend but I was too busy and exhausted, physically and mentally. I have been endlessly dressed in a gown and protective equipment that I am told will soon be harder and harder for me and my colleagues to get.
I was up close and personal with people (and, no…they are not all elderly like you may believe) who are fighting for their lives. And let me emphasize so that there is no doubt; the people I have been seeing are fighting for their lives!
What is happening at the hospital level is hard to describe. These are unprecedented times. It’s scary, it’s emotional, it’s tiring and yet we all rise to the occasion because it’s our job and our passion.
I know many of you are affected in countless ways; missed opportunities for sports, cancelled weddings, postponements of special events, school, financial and household burdens, inconveniences…and..and…and.
And, while those things may pale in comparison to death; they matter. And you have a right to feel a loss and to be sad about it. And I’m sorry, truly sorry.
But, I have been offended by many of the posts and flippant attitudes in regards to this crisis by people who seemingly became epidemiologists and Infectious disease experts overnight. At the same time, I have been inspired by many acts of goodness and selflessness by those who really “get it.”
This isn’t about me. This isn’t about you. This is about ALL of us! Let me repeat that-This isn’t about me. This isn’t about you. This is about ALL of us!
You sitting “this one out” and being compliant could mean the difference between life and death for someone else.
While my colleagues and I are on the front lines fighting to save lives, you can help save lives just by STAYING AT HOME.
I want to tell my colleagues (people I consider my extended friends and family and truly love so much): nurses, respiratory therapists, patient care techs, doctors etc…I LOVE YOU.
I’m proud of you! I pray for you! I thank you! Continue to do what you do with proud hearts and souls of service. It’s what keeps us going. THANK YOU!
And the rest of you, STAY HOME.”
I just heard a doctor on the news say,
“Never have we been so dependent on each other and we should rise to the occasion.” Young people: Act to protect your parents and grandparents, and everyone else’s parents and grandparents. Now is your chance to be selfless; to do the right thing.
Reprinted with permission from Stephanie Duddy Weinwurm
