This will be the 2nd half of Carries journey fighting the Coronavirus in New York City at Jacobi Hospital in the Bronx.  Carrie arrived and started working on March 28, ahead of Tammy.  She is an OB, Labor and Delivery Nurse.  That is usually a very joyful unit.  But can you imagine being in Labor and your lungs are not working anymore?  You can’t catch your breath?  Not only that, the baby is not getting oxygen anymore either.  So so scary to even imagine for those of us who have had childbirth.  So her is the 2nd half of her story, taken from her FB posts.  All entirely in her words…..

CarrieAnn 
April 10 at 6:38 AM ·

THANK YOU Crystal  for my package!!! …we’ve been best friends for so long you’re just a part of me, and that’s why I wasn’t surprised at all that it was full of things only a best friend would know to send. I love u sooo much! Love the books, and wax melts, the food- all of it!
Ps- those green olives!! 🤣😛🙌🏼

CarrieAnn 
April 10 at 8:23 AM ·

Shout out to GO DASH DOT for generously sending these bags to all the L&D nurses here at Jacobi! Thank you for thinking of us during this time, it makes our job a little easier!

CarrieAnn 
April 10 at 10:48 AM ·

These two, making day FOURTEEN doable .. Janice and Alexa

CarrieAnn 
April 12 at 6:25 AM ·

I haven’t posted the past couple evenings because I’m just drained. The word “tired” doesn’t mean anything to me anymore. We’ve all fallen into and accepted a cycle of bus, work, wait, bus, sleep. And there’s not enough of the sleep in the cycle. Now the company is combining buses so we have to be up and on the bus a half hour earlier. It sounds like a small amount of time, but that’s two hits of the snooze button. It’s precious. I’d completely given up any attempt at doing anything with my face on day 4. You get nothing…..wait, you get eyebrows. That’s all you get. (Thanks Haley )
And for anyone who truly knows me…well..
Friday was my 14th day working in New York. I listen to the fairly regular pace of overhead pages calling codes, all day long and subconsciously count them in my head, always realizing by the end of my shift that I tuned it out at some point and lost count. But Friday there was an overhead code page to a room we knew, and our hearts stopped. Go back and read Day 8..when we sectioned a mom who was counting on God to “get her through it”.
There are more and more covid positive moms on our floor. I am cautious with every patient, but it’s unnerving when you KNOW she’s positive.
I’ve felt more and more a part of this unit, I know their stories and their lives..how much they love this city and how it’s changed their lives in so many more ways than we can imagine. Yesterday I had the first thought that it may be hard to leave them. These are nurses just like us..but they can’t leave..they will be here until the last covid + patient comes thru, and I can’t imagine how long that will take.
Yesterday was Saturday, Day 15, and for the most part it acted like a Saturday. Here’s to hoping today acts like a Sunday.
Remember when our biggest thought on Easter Sunday was if there will be enough table space for everyone, or if we will need to set up card tables? Today I will be in the same building with countless families who just pray their person doesn’t die on Easter. Make Easter as Easter-y as you can for your kids, have the dinners and watch them enjoy their baskets, and get pictures of that egg hunt!… but let’s pray with them.
Thanks everyone♥️

CarrieAnn
April 13 at 10:27 PM ·

I loved my day off. I only got out of bed to eat…and take a few pictures on the walk to get food with these great gals Shameka, Marlea and Akila

CarrieAnn 
April 14 at 8:45 PM ·

I’m not sure if a day off made it better, or worse, but I know when the alarm went off there were two words in my head and the first one began with f and the second word was “this”.
Day 18 saw me circulating the OR for my covid+ patient, recovering her, trying to reassure and comfort her, while worrying about myself if Im honest..worrying if I’m doing enough to protect myself every time I went in and out of that room. Trying to mEinimize the trips in it at all, and trying to convince myself it wasn’t less ..a lot less…than it would have been for a healthy post-op patient.
My sister has monitored the New York trend of Covid positive cases. I arrived on the 27th. On the 31st there were 66,497 cases in the state. Today there’s 201,208.
I still see the procession of bodies out the windows toward the back side of the hospital. I just tell myself they were all 100 year old’s who lived a full life.
One of the hospitals plays Alicia Keys and Jay Z’s Empire State of Mind overhead every time someone gets extubated, and nurses are saying it’s playing more and more throughout the day.
I don’t know how many babies we had today, but most of the labor rooms were occupied, and still..the unit focuses on births, new life, and holding each other up. Nobody feels sorry for themselves here, there’s no complaining, everyone smiles..as if it’s their sole responsibility keep moral up..the cheerleaders for New York City. And I wonder if every OB unit in the city is like this right now.
Praying really hard for the nurses that are working day in and day out in ICU, ER, med/surg (that are basically ICU’s) with no cheerleaders. I couldn’t do what they do.

CarrieAnn 
April 15 at 8:14 PM ·

Today Jacobi Medical Center started playing “Fight Song” overhead throughout the whole hospital every time a patient is extubated or discharged. I heard it 4 times today. Talk about goosebumps.. tears all over the place🙌🏼♥️

CarrieAnn 
April 16 at 6:20 AM ·

Someday, healthcare workers that aren’t answering you today will need to talk. They are going to tell you about the patients who died without their families. How their co-workers were getting sick all around them. How women gave birth in masks. How they held the hand of their dying patients because no visitors/family are allowed in the hospitals. How terrible it was to fear going to work and then fear going home to their families. How they worked with skeleton staff and heavy gear or no gear and had to make it through every day hoping not to be exposed. Someday, they will need to talk again. They will need you then, but today they just need to go to war with Covid 19. @nurseforest

CarrieAnn 
Yesterday at 6:16 AM ·

Starting out Day 21, I can’t really process what I’ve just done. It’s been so exhausting , I’ll never casually throw around the phrase “I’m so tired” again..it’s been heartbreaking, it’s been terrifying at times, things I’ve seen, heard and done will replay in my mind for many days ahead..and it’s been indescribably rewarding. What I’ve learned about people, and myself, the last 3 weeks has changed me forever.
I’m not sure what decision day 22 will bring, I feel compelled to stay longer- these nurses are my pack now- but my heart is longing for home and normalcy. I know whatever I do, it won’t be my decision I’ll just be following the path He wants me to take because the one thing that’s got me this far is putting God in charge.
Thank you.. to each of you that have posted and messaged me with your kind words, I felt it every day. Thank you to my kids, who have checked on me daily and sent loving silly texts, who still made me feel needed like moms are, it kept me going..and Joshua, who supported me with so much love, and uplifting encouragement when all he really wanted was for me to stay safe at home. I have never loved my people more, and Im going to try to live it, and remember how all this feels when I get home and comfortable.. life is short and none of us know when it’s over, live a life of integrity..forgive quickly and love tenderly.
That’s my takeaway.

So yesterday was Day 21, the last day of Carrie’s contract.  At that time she had to decide if she wanted to stay.  They now have the offer to work 60 hours week by week.  After a day off, she has decided to stay another week.  Even so she is longing for home and her family, she feels a need to stay and help a little longer.

 She is an amazing HERO.….Just like all the other Health Care Workers.  They are giving of themselves, putting their life at risk to help.  Many have also given up their jobs as hospitals won’t give them the time off.  They have answered the call and only had 2 to 3 days to organize their life for 3 weeks, and be in New York ready to work.  They had to leave their spouse or partner, some arranging child care, talk to their present employer, and organize and pack everything needed.  They also have to arrange their own transportation.  They have no idea what or where they will be working till they receive their assignment.  Many have walked into a very chaotic and disorganized hospital short of so many needed supply’s.  It was characterized as “GOING TO WAR”.  Their are no rules.  You do the best you can.  Many times it isn’t possible to save a life for many reasons, but move on to the next one in line.  Ill post a few of Carries pictures on her day off.  Then she will be included in the next posts, along with Tammy, and Brittney.  They are at Marquis Marriot on Times Square, and working at Lincoln Memorial in the Bronx.  They are on Day 15 tomorrow

 

CarrieAnn
3 hrs ·

The only taste of sightseeing I’ll have while I’m here..an empty Times Square.

..Please continue to follow all 3 girls while they finish out their stay in New York…