Storyteller: Jessica Thompson
“I had no idea the morning huddle at work was going to impact the next year or more of my life” Liz had walked into work at the local hospital like any other day. She works as an emergency room technician. Her coworkers had gathered, and her unit manager made the announcement about the Corona virus. Liz states remembering her manager referring to it as a “new flu going around”. A flu she recalls, no big deal. Initially, they didn’t put much thought into it- until it hit closer to home. Quickly the hospitals began to fill up with Covid (Corona virus) patients. There were talks about running short on gloves, masks, gowns. Resources were becoming scarce, patients that needed ventilators were filling up the hospital and supplies were limited. Though she was frequently with Covid patients, she herself managed to stay Covid free. However, there is a bright side to this pandemic as it has given her more time to be with her family. Her husband has been fortunate to be able to work from home. Although she typically prefers to do a lot of traveling with her family, vacations have slowed down since Covid has started. Instead, she and her family are learning new hobbies and enjoying the more important things of life. She was able to find a slightly comical moment last year when the chaos all started. Everyone was out buying toilet paper and clearing off the shelves. She couldn’t find toilet paper anywhere! She had gone to multiple stores with no luck. Her mother-in-law gifted her some and put a package of toilet paper on the porch with a bow for Easter. “Who would have thought you would appreciate the gift so much! I think we all take for granted the conveniences we have. Being able to go to the grocery store, seeing the shelves stocked, and stopping for dinner on the way home are the little things I have really appreciated. It’ll be nice when things get back to “normal”, but for now- we are making the best out of it!”
MIPandemicStory 