HEROIC ACT OF NURSES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

REAL HEROES WEAR SCRUBS

Every crisis has its own heroes, every disaster, it displays selflessness and

sacrifices. From police officers who place themselves in line of fire, firefighters’ race

into burning buildings, rescue team stepping on floods and storms, and now, amidst the

present coronavirus pandemic, our health-care workers, doctors, and nurses are

making extraordinary sacrifices to care for the rest of us. They do so, most infuriatingly,

even when they have to put their lives at greater risk than necessary by the avoidable

shortages of masks, face shields and other personal protective equipment.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a seismic tear in both the

communities of the internet and real-life by upheaving peace and normalcy. It’s been a

year where “normal” became “new normal”, in which new headlines, articles, blogs, and

posts had caused panic and made it difficult for the general public to discern how

worried they should really be as the crisis portrays the beginning of the apocalypse and

the end of the world as we know it. It’s like as if the internet has been set ablaze with no

fire-exits to escape, with no firefighters to extinguish the flames. People have rushed to

the groceries for alcohols, mask, stockpile foods, paper goods making sure that they

have “enough” for this crisis. In the urgency of it all, we’ve forgotten to thank the people

at the center of it all: our courageous nurses.

“Not all heroes wear capes. In the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the

real heroes wear scrubs”. Their stories are now the news headlines wherein nurses

have resorted to wearing garbage bags as protective gear, stayed in the hospital for
months without seeing their families, slept in the streets because of criticism, infected by

the virus, and unfortunately some did not survive are at once maddening,

heartbreaking and inspiring stories.

The nursing profession has been known with a noble, awe-inspiring, messy,

and exhausting work of caring for the sick and suffering. It is normal for them to have

the enormous privilege of carrying the burden of preserving human dignity amid

uncertainty. Together with other exceptional medical healthcare teams, nurses meet

and care for people when they’re at their most fragile, bringing hope to what, in some

cases, may be the worst day of their lives.

Nurse Mary Lorrainne Pingol went viral on October 2020, for her heroic and kind

act of helping a homeless woman give birth at a roadside. She shared that she never

expected that she would gain recognition as a nurse after being out of nursing practice

for a long time. Her act prompted the Philippine Nurses Association to honor Pingol with

the “Bayaning Nars” as she “exemplified bravery, professionalism, caring, and integrity

beyond her call of duty.”

Nurses are found to be more compassionate in caring for their patients when

they unknowingly they become heroes to the people around them. This profession feels

like a calling for it is considered the most essential, impactful, rewarding, and satisfying

type of work. They are often called as “war metaphor” because they are “in the

trenches” and a “front lines of care.” COVID-19 must be today’s supervillain and

greatest invisible enemy, still, it does not discourage our real lifetime heroes from doing

their jobs with passion and tirelessly working to help others and combat the threat and

eventually beat the invisible nemesis.

 Nurses deserves the kudos and recognition for what they do on a daily basis. For

running towards the line of danger as the rest of us retreat into the safety of our

homes, for taking up the arms and fight regardless the risk, for choosing

selflessness over self-preservation and for choosing to serve and care for those that

might be afflicted with the virus. Not just today in the war against the invisible enemy

that is COVID-19, but every time they step into their scrubs. SALUTE TO ALL THE

NURSES!