MEMPHIS, Tenn. — One Mid-South nurse’s Facebook post is going viral after she detailed her experience with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit.
Liz Clemons has been working in hospitals for over a decade and in the intensive care unit for more than five years, but she’s never seen anything as destructive as COVID-19.
“There’s been a lot of patients where I thought, ‘they’ll be on a ventilator for a few days.’ And then, three weeks later, they finally pass,” Clemons said.
But to Clemons, who is no stranger to trauma, the saddest part of the coronavirus is the conditions that patients are forced to endure.
Patients are isolated, sometimes for weeks at a time. It makes a difficult road to recovery even more daunting.
“It’s really heartbreaking knowing that they’re so alone,” Clemons. “And because of all the things that we wear, it’s really hard to communicate with them and really just connect.”
It’s an experience that front-line workers across the country have had to manage, as the wait for a vaccine continues.
Clemons leans on her faith to get her through.
“That is really honestly what helps me go on. And really the love that he has given me, I feel like I am able to share with others,” Clemons said.
With the holiday weekend looming and cases skyrocketing across the country, health professionals are begging the masses to act responsibly.
“Please wear a mask. I know you have to see people but just be really careful about it!” Clemons said.
Health professionals have encouraged people to celebrate in groups of 10 to 15 people, if not less, over the Fourth of July weekend.
“It’s important that we don’t accelerate transmission over this weekend,” said Shelby County Health Director Alisa Haushalter. “It’s important that people make decisions around avoiding large crowds and secondly, to wear masks.”