Thank you to all of our frontline heroes: Your story matters
To all the frontline workers, the We Are Kathy team thanks all of you from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you for putting your lives on the line so the rest of us can stay safe and healthy. We know that there are so may men and women who are doing a lot right now to help their communities. And we also thank you. This is a scary and uncertain time. It's hard to know what to do or what to think. We are with you. Below are stories of a few local heroes. We Are Kathy editor Jen knows first hand the importance of what they all do on a daily basis. She captured beautiful moments of emergency providers in their element, serving their communities. Some photos were taken before the pandemic, which is why you won't see them wearing masks. We are honored to tell a small part of their stories. Thank you. For everything.
"I never knew I wanted to be an ER nurse until I became one...I never thought I would still be doing this 12 years later but here I am. I'm stronger. I'm braver. I'm smarter than I once was, but also vulnerable to the emotional toll this job takes. But it's who stands beside me everyday that gets me through." - Katey Huffman, RN
"The cool thing is, we all get to choose how we respond to the terrible, ugly things...I choose hope and I won't back down." - Emily Miller, RN
"I keep showing up after so many years because people depend on me; my kids depend on me, my patients depend on me, and my work family depends on me. No single person can do this job alone, we are a team, the strongest team, the hardest working team. We see the worst in a city, where sometimes we [nurses] are all they have, in a city I have grown to LOVE. During this pandemic people are scared, the city is scared and my co-workers are scared. If we sink, we sink together. If the ship goes down, I'm going with it. Im a fighter, they are fighters, we are all fighters. #hurleystrong" -Rozlyn Kramer, RN
"I work with some tough people, brutally honest with the vocabulary of a sailor type people, but they all melt at the touch of a child or the voice of an elderly patient." - Doni Warner, RN
"I am beyond grateful to be surrounded by the most incredible team of trauma nurses, PAs and surgeons every day. These people become family, they lift you up and see you going." - Noelle Silas, Trauma PA
"I like to make an impact on my patients, even though I get such a short time with them." - Jodie McKenzie, RN
[To new nurses starting in their career during the pandemic] "Stay strong. These are hard times, even for a seasoned nurse. I don't think any of us ever imagined a pandemic would occur during our lifetime. It's mentally and physically exhausting. Feelings of frustration, fatigue, and negativity are normal, but I ask you to try and keep your spirit alive. This battle has a lot of uncertainty, but at the end of the day if we can make it through this I truly believe we can do anything. You can't see but I am smiling at your through my mask. I am so grateful to be fighting by your side." -Brooke Erickson, RN
"It's taxing to be part of the treatment team when there's not a complete understanding of the illness, but it's inspiring to be a part of a field dedicated to getting it right." - Tyler Emmendorfer, RN
"In the moments when I help alleviate a patient's concerns or see the fear in a family members eyes washed away, that lets me know I chose the right field." - Thomas Groezinger, RN
"I have the best co-workers in the trenches with me. People who live and love and worry the same way I do." - Amy Juengel, RN
"I am beyond humbled to walk into work every single day and know that my second family stands beside me and is ready to fight with me. We all have our vital part in fighting death knocking on someone's door. We all give our blood, sweat and tears to say, 'Not today, not under our watch.'" - Carmen Fish, RN
"These folks have become more than co-workers, more than friends; they are family." - Robert Stanton, RN
"In 2005 I watched a man die of cardiac arrest, while I stood by helpless. I vowed that day to never let that happen again. Fifteen years later, I go to work every day with that same vow in my heart." - Marta Breckenridge, RN
"I keep going to work during a time like this because... I'm a wife, mother, nurse (in that order). These are the fibers of me. Never will I not be any part of these things in my lifetime. I will NEVER abandon my post. I'm gonna fight with my family, period. And that's on my life! #phuckcorona" - Terri Bates, RN
"My coworkers have been my new battle buddies in this mess. Knowing that they're going through the same situations at work and home makes me feel less alone." - Sarah Satkowiak , RN
"I want my daughter to look back and see how I faced my fears head on for her and our family. I want my patients and co-workers to see that I faced it for them. I want to look in the mirror while getting ready for another shift and know that I faced it for me." - Amanda Zelley, RN
Photographs by: Jenifer Veloso, BSN, RN
