Tuesday is National Superhero Day, and we know there are so many heroes out there helping us get through this pandemic.
Northern Michigan’s News Leader shows you inside the COVID-19 unit at McLaren Northern Michigan and introduces you to some of the healthcare heroes there.
“We came into work one day and our unit was an isolation unit,” said Candyce Bacon, a registered nurse at McLaren Northern Michigan.
Bacon is coming up on her first year as a nurse at McLaren Northern Michigan.
“It’s been pretty crazy, this is never what I expected my first year of nursing would be like,” Bacon said.
On the other hand, Lisa Clark has been a respiratory therapist for more than 30 years.
“This is pretty crazy,” Clark said. “This is the first time I’ve ever had to do a pandemic where we wear the whole gear and all that.”
They are both helping treat COVID-19 positive patients in McLaren Northern Michigan’s isolation unit.
“It was definitely scary, but we’ve learned a lot and I think we got it down to a science,” Bacon said.
Nurses like Bacon have stepped to help patients and families connect.
“It’s been tough, they’re not able to visit,” Bacon said. “Being able to be there for our patients has been really great, it’s more comforting for them.”
Both say they have closely connected with the COVID-19 patients they treat, which makes it even more difficult when one passes away.
“It’s tough every time a patient passes,” Bacon said. “We do our best to be there as much for the patients and their families as we can be.”
“You grieve along with the family, you know, you’ve worked so hard to get these people well and no matter what you do as a therapist or the nurse or the doctor the outcome is very sad,” Clark said.
They say there are tough times, but also some happy moments.
“It’s been sad at times but then I’ve also seen miracles happen,” Clark said.
Like when these patients get discharged…
“It’s a different feeling seeing these patients go home, you know they beat the odds,” Bacon said.
Clark says this is probably the most stressful time of her career…
“Not just stress here at the hospital but stress at home, stress at the grocery stores,” Clark said. “I think more of the stress is really outside because I think here in the hospital we have all the PPE equipment.”
“I feel when I leave here I’ve done what I need to do to keep myself safe and my other patients and my family safe,” Clark said.
And as far as being called heroes…
“I just feel like I’m doing what my job is and what I was trained to do,” Clark said.
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