9 minute read
Serving in a pandemic
EARLY ON IN THE COVID-19 QUARANTINE, WE ASKED DOCK ALUMNI SERVING ON THE FRONT LINES TO SHARE THEIR PERSPECTIVES ON A SITUATION THEY WILL NOT SOON FORGET. HERE ARE THEIR STORIES OF BEING CHRIST‘S HANDS AND FEET.
Dr. Joann Hunsberger (’94)
Pediatric Anesthesiologist, Johns Hopkins Hospital/Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, Baltimore, MD
As I walked into the hospital again this morning, I was reflecting on how this pandemic has affected my professional life. I am a pediatric anesthesiologist, which means I take care of children who need to be asleep for surgeries or for procedures. I also take care of kids in the rest of the hospital who have pain and need specialized pain medicine plans. Over the last month, my patients in and out of the operating room have been sicker than usual—children with cancer, kidneys that don’t work, babies who can’t eat or drink correctly. But, overall, there have been fewer patients in the hospital as people delay medical care and stay home.
As my normal responsibilities have decreased, part of my response to this pandemic has been a voluntary redeployment to the adult hospital, on the team for intubating (placing the breathing tube) in patients with Covid-19. My first time walking onto the Covid ICU was scary, with every patient very sick, and most on ventilators. I was immediately impressed by the valor of my colleagues, the medical heroes dressed in protective equipment fit for a science fiction movie, as they cared for these patients who are critically ill with a virus for which we have no cure. But I am straightened by my faith, which has helped me to overcome my fear and replace it with a desire to care for the sick, the weak and dying in the face of incredible uncertainty.
For the past several years, I have been privileged to be on the board of directors of Mennonite Healthcare Fellowship. This fantastic organization brings healthcare workers of Anabaptist faith together to discuss how our faith intersects with our profession. I have appreciated the level of expertise and experience present in the Anabaptist community. We have doctors, nurses, therapists, social workers, chaplains, dentists and health researchers throughout the United States and around the world. Over the past several weeks, I have been able to speak with some of those in the midst of Covid-19 via our Menno HealthCast podcast and our Covid-19 Response Webinar, giving voice to that uniquely Anabaptist perspective. I have come to appreciate the Anabaptist healthcare community even more deeply, as we thoughtfully and carefully respond to an unprecedented pandemic, as frontline providers, thought leaders and administrators.
I am deeply appreciative of the prayers and thoughts of my community here in Baltimore and my home community in Pennsylvania.
As a result of our inquiries for this story, Dr. Hunsberger was able to interview Anna Hershey for MennoHealthCast (see Episode 8). You can listen to that interview and others at https://themennonite. org/the-latest/mennohealth-cast-podcast/
Serving in a pandemic
Dr. Joann Hunsberger (’94) Pediatric Anesthesiologist Johns Hopkins Hospital/Johns Hopkins Children’s Center Baltimore, MD
Anna Hershey (’09) RN Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Philadelphia, PA
Olivia (Bradford) Strickland ('12) RN Grand View Hospital Sellersville, PA Wes Strickland (’12) Physician’s Assistant Penn Presbyterian Medical Center Philadelphia, PA
Madison Downes (’15) Sales Medstar Radiology Network Towson, MD
Dr. Joann Hunsberger is geared up on the Covid ICU at Johns Hopkins.
Anna Hershey (’09, right) at a Covid-19 testing site in Philadelphia.
Olivia (Bradford) Strickland and husband Wes Strickland (’12).
Anna Hershey (’09)
RN, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia
I’ve been a registered nurse at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for almost three years now. A few months ago, my friends started expressing their concerns about the virus. I confidently and calmly reassured them that everything was going to be fine and that they should continue to wash their hands. Well, now as we are in the midst of a pandemic, often times the thought, “I can’t believe this is happening” crosses my mind.
As Philadelphia started announcing the orders to close all non-essential businesses, my manager was reaching out to the nursing staff to see if anyone was interested in working at the Covid-19 screening center. Immediately I thought, I should do this, I need to do this for my community. My family was concerned and scared, but understood that now more than ever, this is the time to serve our community.
I don’t always feel like I am on the front lines of a crisis because as nurses, we are called to help and serve people no matter the circumstances. Many of the patients we work with have numerous co-morbidities and social conditions that are hard to comprehend. When our patients come up to be screened for Covid-19, they usually are scared and apprehensive. They have a lot of questions and have deep concern for their families and their communities. For me, I am happy to be a warm and welcoming face (behind an N95 mask) to the Covid-19 crisis. It is an opportunity to let my patients know that it is OK to be scared, we are all in this together, and we need to practice social distancing/proper hand hygiene because it does work!
We have received so much support from the Philadelphia community. Numerous businesses and restaurants have donated food, coffee, and personal protective equipment (PPE). Many people passing by our site will thank us for our service. For me, I feel like I am living out my calling to be a nurse, to serve and comfort all the people I come in contact with. I am also extremely grateful for a strong and inspiring team of nurses, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for their leadership and putting our safety above everyone else, and most importantly my family and friends who are constantly reaching out to make sure I am OK.
Together we got this!
RN, Grand View Hospital, Sellersville, PA Physician’s Assistant, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA
Iam a registered nurse at Grand View Hospital. There is a lot of change going on at the hospital as a result of Covid-19, and we are forced to take on new roles and responsibilities. Being a nurse, I spend most of my 12-hour shift directly with my patients. I have spent several shifts on our “Covid floor,” dealing with extremely sick patients. As we are not allowing visitors, most of these people are alone, away from their friends and families. It’s only the healthcare workers that they see on a daily basis.
During this difficult time, it’s easy to feel anxious and stressed. It’s easy to worry and think of the worstcase scenario. While this is difficult for the patients, I realize I can be a light for people during a scary time. I can be a friend for them, someone they can talk to, and shine God’s love on them every shift.
Lesley (Miller) Gunshenan (’87), had an extra reason to celebrate Easter this year after recovering from the Covid-19 virus with the help of her nurse, daughter Madison Downes (’15). Luckily for me, my husband, Wes (’12) works in healthcare and is going through a lot of the same issues. It’s so nice being able to talk to him about issues at work and how scary everything we are dealing with is. It always makes me feel better.
Prayer is also so important with everything going on. Through prayer and my daily Bible readings, I see God telling us that he doesn’t want us to worry! He wants us to trust Him, and talk to Him about what’s going on. These times are making us stronger, and helping us rely on God more. He doesn’t want us to go through this alone, and through prayer and daily communication with Him, He is telling us that He is always by our sides.
I try and do my best for my patients every shift. I try and spend as much time with them as I can and tell them everything will be OK, even when I’m scared and unsure. I do my best to advocate for them to the doctors and get them everything they need to be comfortable and pain-free. When I’ve done all I can, I tell them I’m praying for them and leave the rest up to God.
I pray that in the future, this experience will teach us to rely on God more; that we realize God is in control of everything that happens and we don’t need to worry. I pray that our community will be stronger, and people will think about others before themselves. This difficult time has made us rely on each other and work through things as a team. We have gotten so much support from local businesses and churches during this situation. It is nice to see the community support and know that we are all in this together. I hope we can keep up this mentality long after this pandemic has passed.
Madison Downes (’15) Sales, Medstar Radiology Network, Towson, MD
Watching my mom fight the coronavirus was one of the scariest things I’ve been through. The four of us were infected by the virus in some way, some asymptomatic, some mild cases, and my mom’s being the most severe case. Her illness lasted for about 15 days, with days 5-10 being the worst of them all. It was a slow start, with symptoms similar to normal allergies. Days later she was spending 23 out of 24 hours in bed each day. Her fever was uncontrollable and her body was weak.
Although we were moments away from calling for an ambulance many times, we thank God that she was able to fight this incredibly scary virus without being admitted to the hospital. We were able to use Telehealth and schedule daily virtual visits with her doctor to monitor her progress. She was fortunate to have guidance and instruction from Lederach Family Medicine and efficient coronavirus testing at Greater Baltimore Medical Center in Baltimore.
I thank God that I was able to be by her side throughout the entire virus. This is one of the most difficult things we’ve dealt with as a family. This time allowed us to strengthen our faith and put all of our trust in God. We continue to pray for others that are impacted by Covid-19, and encourage others to stay safe.
