Over 100 YorkU Nursing students thank front line nurses for their dedication to world health in the fight against COVID-19.
A phrase that I’ve heard throughout my entire life is “not all heroes wear capes” and it has never rung truer than right now. During a time of confusion and uncertainty, you have stepped forward as a leader in our community and are working tirelessly on the front lines during this pandemic. Despite everything, you are there by the patient’s side and making the best decisions you can to ensure their well-being. Whether you are advocating for the safety of your patients and colleagues, whether you are educating others about the facts and fiction associated with this virus, or whether you are simply trying your best – you are a leader and you are an inspiration to all aspiring nurses. You are demonstrating to us that one person can make a difference.
Your influence and impact extend past just your patients. It extends even further than the family or the community of the patient. When you are working as a nurse during this pandemic, you are caring for an entire nation. You are providing care to the people who need you the most, helping to slow the spread of the virus to the community, and providing education so others can also do their part to help. More importantly, you are healing the nation by providing hope. The whole world is looking to nurses right now because leaders and citizens alike recognize how essential nursing is to our society. We realize the amount of courage and dedication it takes for you to be there. Your commitment to saving lives is propping up an entire country and showing us that we can make it through this crisis.
Right around the time that I was deciding my career path, my mom was diagnosed with cancer and she became hospitalized. It was a terrifying time and for a moment, I wasn’t sure if any of us would make it through. During that time, it was the kindness and the dedication of the nurses who were caring for my mom that got me through. It was the nurses who would come around to comfort us, who would explain every procedure and make sure that we knew exactly what was going to happen. It was the nurses who came in with a smile on their face, and against all odds, put a smile on our faces as well. That was what inspired me to be a nurse, so I could be that ray of hope in someone else’s life during their most difficult time. I see that same kindness and dedication in every single nurse who is working right now and becoming that hope for everyone who is scared or lost amidst this pandemic. Every single day, you are making a difference in someone’s world. Despite the risk that is presented to you, you continue to stand by the patient’s side and do everything in your power to care for them. When I was a child, the heroes I admired most were the ones who did not turn back in the face of adversity. The heroes kept helping others even when their own safety could not be guaranteed and kept fighting even when there was no clear end in sight. Thank you for being our heroes.
Please take care and stay safe,
C.T., York University Nursing Student