Reject a nurse, reject your hope

Last week I began my week being told that my hours would be reduced at work as a result of the Coronavirus. By Friday, 4 days later, I was furloughed before the reduced hours began as a result of the state I live in shutting down non-essential businesses.

During all this time, my wife who happens to be a registered nurse in an hospital emergency room is working tirelessly to take care of patients with limited supplies and excessive patients. She had already exposed herself to multiple dangers at her hospital as a healthcare worker such as disease(Other than Covid-19), dangerous Psych patients that inappropriately touch her and threaten her, patients who are just plain old jerks that have no patience for wait time and that berate and accuse my wife constantly. Remember that car that crashed into the ER two years ago intentionally? Well, that is where my wife works.. Right behind those same doors. You know your 8, 9 or 10 hour shift that you work at your office or job, well my wife works a 12 hour shift. If that wasn't enough... despite my wife having a to be exposed to this sickness, to this hatred and lack of appreciation, my wife also has the same 5 days of sick time that all of us get and God help her if she happens to be sick just one more day over that time period. She is bound by HIPPA laws, constantly threatened to be sued... It is not a glorious job.

Would you like to know what my wife has to encounter now with this Coronavirus? Imagine a fire fighter going in to a burning building but only having a face mask and fire hose. Not much protection because of the lack of supplies and face masks or coverings. You know what risks she takes? Like a fireman who puts himself of risk of death, my wife puts herself at risk of death too. From patients and illness. My wife caught both Flu A and Flu B this year from taking care of two different patients that forgot to tell her they had the flu. Yet, do you know one difference between a firefighter and a nurse? A firefighter does not bring back the fire to her home. My wife potentially can.

Do you know what my two little daughters and I go through every day that my wife goes to work? We wait and hope that she comes home safe and that some patient who daily says he will shoot up the ER or stab her, etc.. Actually fulfills that desire. You know what else? We have to wonder what we are going to catch this week or next week. With this Coronavirus my wife has practiced social distancing from us all and that means that I or my daughters haven't been able to properly hug, snuggle, hold or kiss my wife in weeks. My wife hasn't been able to visit her very sick dad who has Parkinsons disease or even be in the same room with her own 75 year old mother.

But you know the worst thing about all of this? Besides that my wife's husband lost his job and she know has to be the sole provider until this all settles down, besides the fact that she exposes herself to all this and has to be apart from all of us and friends because she is a nurse??? It is the fact that my wife is not allowed to pump gas at a gas station without being harrassed. Or she can't go into a store to get necessities that we as a family need. What is really sad is that this has been happening to a large percentage of nurses.

You know what? If you have done this to a healthcare worker, please realize something: You are not just a coward. You see, it is OK to be afraid. It's not OK for your fear though to treat others badly. No, you instead are a jerk. You are denying giving people what they need just for risking their lives to help you. Next time, before you do something like that ever again, just think: It may be you with Coronavirus walking into a hospital possibly infecting the staff and other patients and... my wife.

If you are a healthcare worker, do not stand for this. Walk out of the store or gas station. Call the police. Shame the business on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram and Nextdoor.com and even report to your local news station. Do not stand for that injustice. It is OK to be afraid. It is even to an extent OK to be a coward. But it is not OK to turn people away when they need something. Pass it on!

#healthcare #nurses #coronavirus