-nurses at the COVID-19 hospital tell their stories

EVEN though International Nurses Day 2021 was observed on Wednesday last, there is no denying that a one-day observance cannot begin to honour the contributions and sacrifices made by nurses over the past year.

In Guyana, nurses have been showing up in their numbers to care for patients suffering from various illnesses, knowing full well that at any time, they could be tending to someone carrying the deadly coronavirus which has taken millions of lives and brought global devastation.

Over at the Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara, the doctors and nurses there have been consciously and purposely risking their lives to keep death at bay. For them, facing COVID-19 is not a possibility; it is a reality; it is their reality.
Yunita Baird is 24 years old, and she has only been a nurse for two years, one of which was plagued with a plague. In September 2020, the young nurse voluntarily moved from the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) to the ‘COVID-19 hospital.’

The young Buxton, East Coast Demerara resident told the Sunday Chronicle that nursing for her is not a job, but a passion that runs deep.
“I have always had a love for the profession, and I have always wanted to become a nurse so that I can help people and comfort people,” Baird said.
For half of her young career, Baird has witnessed the death of many of her patients, and as the local COVID-19 figures continue to rise, it is likely that more persons will lose their battle with the virus.

“The most challenging part of the job is to be caring for someone and reassuring them that all will be okay, but then, despite my best effort, they deteriorate and die. It makes me feel helpless and makes me wish I could’ve done more,” the young woman said.
She added, “Sometimes it really gets me really heart broken, but then in a next sense, you have to move on and see what you can do for a next patient. Sometimes what you didn’t get to do for one patient, you try to do for the next one.”

Baird noted that her daily reality continues to take its toll on her mental health.
“It has been tough, but thankfully we have a mental health advocate we talk to, who helps to keep us grounded,” Baird related. She said that even though her job is characterised by much heartache, there are days that bring joy and fulfillment.

“I feel a sense of accomplishment when a patient is able to return home better than how he/she came to the facility,” Baird said.
Unlike many of her colleagues, Baird does not reside in the living quarters provided by the government; she returns home on a daily basis. The young woman said that initially, her fears of contracting the virus and infecting her family were intense, but she takes comfort in wearing her protective gears and adhering to the strict sanitisation protocols that are compulsory before leaving the facility.

“Taking every precaution keeps my mind at ease,” Baird posited.
She explained, “When we leave our unit, we have to take a spray down with 100 per cent alcohol, and then we have to shower before leaving the facility; once we reach home, we have to shower again before going around our families. We don’t go home with the same clothes we work with and so.”

Baird said that a source of concern for her is watching persons parade the streets and go about their usual business without taking the requisite precautions to tame the pandemic.
“As a frontline worker, I advise my patients to always wear their masks and sanitise or wash their hands as often as they can,” Baird said. She acknowledged also that often times, many of her patients do not live long enough to be able to follow the guidelines.

The young woman said that even as persons complain about the discomforts of wearing something as simple as a mask, she and her colleagues are subjected to wearing hazmat suits that are not only heavy, but can cause one to develop claustrophobia.

The young woman said that even with all the challenges and heartaches that come with being a nurse at the COVID-19 hospital, it is an experience that she treasures, and one that she uses as a means of serving her country.
“I can’t imagine doing anything else,” Baird asserted.

AN HONOUR TO FIGHT
Her colleague, Alex Garnett, also 24, has been a nurse for two years, five months. He says that his career has so far been an unstoppable rollercoaster that seem to revolve around dark and frightening occurrences.

“The most challenging thing for me is witnessing patients suffering and not recovering, despite effective nursing care given,” Garnett confessed.
More than just a job, the Bachelor’s Adventure, East Coast Demerara resident considers being a nurse on the frontline a noble duty.
“I continue to risk my well-being because I want to be a part of history as somebody who helped defeat the dreadful disease. I’ve read a lot about past pandemics and it’s an honour to be on the front line,” Garnett said.

He noted that his family continues to be the pillar of strength that keeps him focussed to execute his duties. “
They have helped me a great lot to cope,” Garnett said. Currently, the young man is taking every precaution by living in the staff quarters of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.
As Guyana’s COVID-19 cases continue to rise, Garnett is calling on the government to consider a full lockdown.

A DECADE, BUT NOTHING LIKE THIS
Meanwhile, John Allen, age 32, has been a nurse for almost 10 years, and in all of his career, he has not witnessed as many deaths and devastation as he has from March 2020 to present.
He began working in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the ‘COVID hospital’ in November, and over the past few months, he has had to muscle the courage to remain positive on the gloomy days that seem to go on and on and on.

“Sometimes you have to face these patients, knowing that their intentions are to get better and return home, but not all of them are able to do that,” Allen said.
He noted that the most difficult aspect of nursing COVID-19 patients has to do with the uncertainty of their wellbeing.
“Sometimes you might have a patient looking well, being on oxygen just via face mask, but then tomorrow, you see them on a ventilator…Its very traumatic; at any time, a patient could have a cardiac or respiratory arrest, and things could take a turn for the worse,” Allen informed.

Allen said that he is particularly troubled by the fact that COVID-19 patients either get better and go home, or they die at the facility in the absence of their loved ones.
“It is also very difficult to know that these patients have families who are unable to see them; and to know that they might not ever return home is hard,” Allen told the Guyana Chronicle.
He said that the spike in cases over the past few months has made it even more difficult for doctors and nurses at the COVID-19 hospital. They are now subjected to more heartaches and disappointments as more patients continue to die.

“The more we keep breaching the COVID guidelines, the more we are going to have rising cases,” Allen posited.
Collectively, Allen, Baird and Garnett are calling on all adult Guyanese to take their vaccines and to do better in adhering to the COVID-19 guidelines. They are just three of the many health workers who continue to risk their lives to protect the nation from the deadly coronavirus.