SPRINGDALE, Ark. — A local nurse working in one of the hardest-hit COVID-19 spots in the country is sharing the experience after her first week on the job.
Jamye Perry is an ER nurse at Northwest Medical. She just finished her first week treating COVID-19 patients in the ICU in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
She says what she is seeing and experiencing there is not like anything we have seen here in Arkansas.
Perry told 5NEWS it's like a movie and feels like she's in The Twilight Zone. Patients are not able to talk because they are on ventilators, and medical staff is covered in protective gear.
"My body hurts, my face hurts, my head hurts from trying to think through things constantly, but then you see the patients you are dealing with, and you realize you got nothing on them," Perry said.
Perry said it has been an exhausting experience, but she's happy she decided to go and help. She says she has seen positives through the experience.
She is calling the kindness of others in the hospital a blessing.
"People really really do have the kindest spirits ever. I have seen some amazing things from people," Perry said.
With businesses starting to reopen in Arkansas and Oklahoma, Perry says she wants to encourage people to use common sense and still practice social distancing.
"And if you are concerned, you know, go with that - trust your gut. But, just be so thankful that Arkansas has not been hit this hard."
Perry said the hardest part about the experience so far has been being away from her family.
She will work for three weeks before returning to Arkansas.