Sep 27, 2021 | Grace
First of all, in March 2020, I was not yet an employee of HDGH. I was a Professor at St. Clair College and privileged to be educating future RPNs. I was also working at Children’s Hospital of Michigan as a contingent PACU RN. My twin sister and I celebrated our 50th birthday in 2020 on a beach in Mexico. We had planned and saved for well over a year. We went back and forth about if we should go and then once arrived on March 11th, we found ourselves coming home early after the Prime Minister spoke on March 16th. Yes, we had T-shirts made, glasses, matching outfits, you name it. This was our first trip away together. However, we are also are first and foremost healthcare professionals of 30 years. I am an RN and Dee my twin sister is a PSW for the Alzheimer’s Society, working in their day away program at Huron Lodge. As soon as our PM spoke we both said “we need to go home”, “we need to help”. Upon returning home I quickly found that I was now teaching full time in the virtual world. Next COVID-19 had passed through our PACU staff at CHM. I worked three shifts in Detroit as many of my colleagues were at that time required to self-isolate. During the beginning of the first wave, I was climbing the walls wanting to help. I reached out to the Windsor Mask force, did mask research for them, and then hand bagged homemade masks and caps for all our consolidating RPN students who were now online and out of clinical. Then the call came from our community hospitals asking experienced nurses for help. I immediately sought approval from my CHM manager who said “support your community, Deb….” and granted me leave for the pandemic. Before I entered into Nursing, I was a candy-striper at Grace Hospital and had worked in the ICU at HDGH when on Ouellette. I also had numerous teaching experiences at HDGH and was honoured to accept a Temp CPM / IPAC part-time position, which quickly turned full-time. Then my new journey with HDGH began. Our leaders asked for volunteers who would be deployed to assist our community. And so I put my name in. I participated in community swabbing with EMS, LTC swabbing, employee and patient swabbing, migrant worker swabbing, Cerner education (like that was all we needed amidst a pandemic right?). Then in December, I had the privilege of being deployed to St. Clair Village. I worked with an amazing team. We put in long hours, supporting staff and each other as the death toll rose at St. Clair Villages throughout the Christmas holidays. I missed my family but they were wonderfully supportive. My kids said, “mom, go to help those who are in need. Next, it was onto Augustine Villa and living in a hotel in Kingsville away from my family, working out of a trailer in the community. I taught virtually, sometimes standing on my head practically to get a WIFI signal during teams lectures…. It was all hands on deck assisting our team with community support. I had tremendous support from my family and friends, and I now had my new family, HDGH with me fighting COVID-19. At night, I would listen to inspirational stories from other nurses, uplifting music, and journal by days into reports for the hospital. We are so excited when we got the call to be vaccinated. Next, we were able to vaccinate residents which was an amazing gift to my spirit after fighting COVID-19 for so long. I was away from HDGH for a total of seven weeks.When I was approached to be interviewed by the Windsor Star, for Nurses’ Week it was very humbling. I have worked alongside so many amazing staff members, I truly wanted to name every single one. I meant what I said that I have never felt so fulfilled as a Nurse. Sure, there was a lot of adrenaline, death, darkness, and fear, but serving the needs of others is where I found my joy and hope. Witnessing our community and hospital and former students rise made me a proud human. Sometimes, things happen for a reason. When an operations position was posted for HDGH, I knew it was a potential time for me to change career paths. I was thrilled to accept and continue to be supported and mentored by our amazing HDGH team. I have learned so much and grown as a Nurse and I am so pleased to be a permanent HDGH employee now. I recently had a t-shirt made with the HDGH tagline, “Changing Lives Together” placed on the back, and that line is what will keep me here at HDGH…