Valley Stream
HERALD
Memorial staff creates PPE
Parade for lIJ nurse
V.S. teachers talk remote learning
Page 3
Page 13
Page 7
Vol. 31 No. 20
MAY 14 - 20, 2020
A miracle for Mother’s Day Mom and daughter, both Covid-19 patients, discharged on same day By PEtEr BElfIorE pbelfiore@Liherald.com
Peter Belfiore/Herald
MIldrEd SoNgcuAN wAS discharged from LIJ Valley Stream on Friday after a 15-day battle with Covid-19. Not far behind her was her daughter, Melissa Morales.
Mildred Songcuan, 61, and her daughter Melissa Morales, 40, of Elmont, were both hospitalized at Northwell Health’s LIJ Valley Stream with Covid19, but Mother’s Day came two days early for the pair when they were discharged from the hospital together last Friday. More than two dozen staff members lined the hospital lobby to greet the two with shouts and applause as they were rolled out of the building on gur neys. Even through
shrouds of protective facial coverings, the emotion was clear on their faces. It was, however, a bitterswe e t m o m e n t fo r b o t h , because they left behind Songcuan’s husband and M o r a l e s ’s f a t h e r, I s a i a s Songcuan, 62, who was the most gravely ill of the three and had been in the hospital’s intensive care unit. As has become common for Covid-19, the disease brought on by the virus, it tore through the household, spreading amongfamily members. Continued on page 4
VSFD member reflects on volunteering amid a pandemic By NIcolE AlcINdor nalcindor@liherald.com
When an emergency strikes, two questions flash through the mind of Michael Seltzer, a lieutenant in the Valley Stream Fire Department: Where’s the call, and what type of call is it? “When I go to volunteer, my main goal is to get home safely,” said Seltzer, a former department captain. “You have to remain calm and work under extreme pressure at times.” The coronavirus pandemic has only increased the pressures of volunteering, said Seltzer, 49, who oversees the department’s emergency medical services.
Michael Seltzer He’s in charge of making sure EMTs follow new pandemic safety protocols and wear required personal protective equipment. “My biggest concern during this pandemic is making sure that the Fire Department ambulances always have enough pro-
tective gear on them,” said Seltzer, who works long hours as a Nassau County police medic and is married with two children, ages 18 and 15. “I also make sure that the Fire Department has the most up-to-date information” about the pandemic, which, he noted, “changes daily.” Last month, a longtime EMT with the department, Mike Field, died of Covid-19 after transporting a coronavirus patient. Seltzer and Field had volunteered together for 32 years, since Seltzer joined the department, and he recalled the last conversation he had with Field before he died. It was a warning. “He wanted me to tell every-
one at the firehouse that this was no joke, and to make sure they have their protective equipment on at all times,” Seltzer said. In the face of such tragedy, Seltzer said he has developed techniques to cope. “Trying to keep a sense of humor usually helps me manage my emotions,” he said. “I tend to sometimes overlook self-care, but just seeing people recover and leave the hos-
pital keeps the motivation going. “I have always wanted to help people,” he continued. “As a kid, I was always watching television shows about fire, police and emergency medical services.’” Seltzer was 5 years old when his father joined the Fire Department. In high school, he studied heating, air-conditioning, refrigContinued on page 8