The Healers: Duty over family

“My experience with this pandemic has been vivid and closely personal. I got engaged this February and a few days later, my fiance tested COVID positive. His condition was quite critical and he had to be admitted to the ICU. Within a few days, I personally had to report for duty. For me, duty always came first even though it was hard for me knowing that my family was tackling a deadly virus.

Days have been a blur since then. This second wave has been more terrifying than the first wave as people refuse to follow safety protocols including disposal of used masks responsibly.

I try to talk to the patients, instill positivity and consider it a victory when they are shifted to the general ward from ICU. Yet, so many have been unlucky. I distinctly remember a 82 year old who was in our care for eighteen days and was almost like my grandfather. He crashed all of a sudden and I couldn’t even wipe my tears in that PPE.

The situation is very grim and I am not sure if I would live tomorrow; what keeps my family and me going is a simple ‘Hello’ over the phone before and after work. Despite everything, they are proud of me that I chose to serve humanity until my last breath.

I would especially like to thank people who are trying to arrange beds and oxygen for others, they are also the COVID warriors. But for those who need to…