FAYETTEVILLE, Ark — Hero is often a word used for law enforcement, firefighters or characters with superpowers. It's also a word that describes the men and women fighting the invisible threat that is coronavirus.
Local nurse Jayme Perry is on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic and is sharing what it's been like to fight this battle and to see experience hand the weight that comes with it.
“This is what we do, this is what we have wanted to do from the beginning,” Perry said. “People don’t think a firefighter is crazy when he gears up and runs towards a fire or a cop runs towards a gun show, you know it's what we do.”
She says since the pandemic began, each day brings a new challenge. She says, in the beginning, it was not knowing when or how it would hit the hospital she works in, and now that it's here, it brings a different kind of anxiety.
“The stress really lied in trying to identify them, trying to identify those patients,” Perry said.
She says she doesn't sleep much now and is trying to constantly educate herself on the virus so she can fight it while also comforting patients and loved ones, who she says are terrified.
Mary Schulz with NWA Heroes, a nonprofit that supports first responders, has extended their care to health care workers. She says they are heroes too and the weight of the pandemic they could feel is valid.
“There is a place for this anxiety and this depression during this time and just allowing yourself to feel this,” Schulz said.
With fewer people coming into the hospital, many nurses and staff member's hours are getting cut, causing some to travel to New York or other hard-hit areas.
Perry says this is the moment she and other health care workers have trained and prepared for, and the support from the community keeps her going.
“When someone says an extra 'thank you' or stops me on the sidewalk in my neighborhood and says you know it means a lot, it means more than they think they realize," she said.
Heroes of NWA helps raise money to pay the copays for first responders. At this time, health care workers should reach out to their employers to find out the different mental health support that is available.
Click here for more information on Heroes of NWA.