By: Miranda Gregory
As it has been said before by many others, COVID-19 has touched and broken parts of every single person on this earth or has affected them in some way. And if someone tells you COVID-19 has not affected them, they’re lying.
I’m sharing the story of someone very near and dear to me, who has helped me, from taking my first few steps, to cooking me dinner, to helping me overcome my difficulties in life; my mother. She is the strongest person I know during this pandemic, both mentally and emotionally (being a nurse). But I will say that I am writing on my mother’s behalf; she cannot speak for all nurses worldwide and say that their experiences during the pandemic will be identical.
At the beginning of the pandemic, she grew increasingly weary as cases began popping up all over the country and knew that in no time the illness would travel all the way to our town in Wisconsin. She started working many more hours at the hospital for training and developing new sections to house the patients afflicted with COVID-19. At home, she put us through boot camp, creating a sense of routine every time someone entered or left the house.
I quote, “Ain’t no diseases gett’n through these doors.”
“Then November hit; that was by far the worst month.” my mother said. During November I rarely saw her–she was only ever at work with the sick or sleeping. The one time I could talk to her was when she was getting ready to go to work. I would make dinner and bring it to the bathroom vanity where she was getting ready. I would then take my slice of dinner and sit on the stairs leading to where she was just so we could talk, if only for 10 minutes before she raced off again.
Now in March, it’s not as bad, but I can tell COVID-19 is wearing on her. My mother was so filled with compassion and life one year before, whereas now she is an almost robotic and stress-filled being. But she puts on a brave face for her children and does the best she can, and that’s more than enough for me.