"We wanted to help people..."

[babylonsister]

FB/Anonymous...

“We wanted to help people
We were smart and driven
We loved science and physiology, humans and disease
So we made a commitment
We signed up
It was an honor
We read thousands of pages
Attended hundreds of lectures
Pulled all-nighters
Took more exams than we thought possible
Finals week felt insurmountable
But it didn’t break us
It made us stronger
We learned statistics and biochemistry
Immunology and pathophysiology
We mastered genetics, virology and pharmacology
We read scientific papers and learned how to dissect them
Papers, not videos
It was an honor
We came running when you needed us
Literally, running down the hallway
To the ICU, the trauma bay, labor and delivery
I need help, you said
We can help, we said
It was an honor
There were moments that we thought would break us
Moments that drove us to journaling, to therapy, to nightmares
Broken babies.
Paralyzed children.
Dead pregnant mothers with three kids at home.
The wail of a mother whose son just died.
We bent but we did not break
We returned because you needed us
And we could help
It was an honor
Then there was fear
Fear of walking into our place of work
Fear that we’d be killed by going to work
Fear that we’d kill a loved one because of our work
There were tears and sleepless nights and anti-anxiety medications
But you banged your pots and pans
You sent us pizzas and called us heroes
You needed us
We could help
So we wore our masks, and our gowns, and our gloves, and our goggles
We decontaminated ourselves before going home and isolated ourselves from our families
We almost broke
It was an honor
How quickly the joy turned to defeat
Elation to rage
You’ve learned to do your own research now
You know better than we do
Gaslighting is your language
Your selfishness is astounding
You don’t want our help when we ask you to stay healthy
Yet you arrive at our doors begging for help at the end
You stole our resources
You hobbled our ability to help those who did what they were supposed to do
You killed our patients by filling our beds and using up our ventilators
We can’t help any more
You broke us
There is no more honor”

- Anonymous

[FreepFryer]

1. All good, except - they didn't break us. Never give them the satisfaction (Nt)

[hlthe2b]

4. Are you a HCW? Because they have broken or killed many of my colleagues...

[FreepFryer]

5. And yet the battle continues. Are you standing or are you fallen? Your choice. (Nt)

[hlthe2b]

6. So easy for you to say. Your comments are lacking compassion and understanding.

I have lost two physician colleagues across the country and countless more with long-hauler COVID syndrome--including my own sister. You really don't know what you are talking about, but your statements are incredibly condescending. Yes, I am still working. But, my life is being shortened one way or another as a result--both mentally and physically, as are those of my colleagues.

But., you of course can point fingers at those out there for the past two years and claim WE weren't "strong" enough or "dedicated" enough or were "quitters." It is reprehensible.

[FreepFryer]

7. Nonsense. If one is dead, one cannot say one is dead. The rest is just words or action.

I didn’t ask your “credentials” and no one can know or compare the suffering of others to their own - so best not to do so.

[hlthe2b]

8. What the hell are you saying?

Forget it. Welcome to ignore.

[FreepFryer]

9. You never listened to a word I said so I don't expect you would understand.

So instead, here is what the CEO of a beleaguered hospital just wrote to the staff. Note it doesn’t say “we’re broken” but it confronts the reality of the tragedy and commits to serving the needy.

In an Aug. 20 email to all employees, Baptist Hospital CEO Patricia Rosello told her workforce that the previous evening, three people in their thirties died from COVID-19.

“We realized this week that not everyone who works here realizes how different this surge has been,” Rosello wrote. “We want you to share this data and information with your friends and family as we all have to do our part in sharing the TRUTH. Many of your colleagues are having to face the multiple deaths of young people. We have pregnant patients with COVID in our ICU and that is something we did not experience before.”

Rosello warned that the start of the new school year and the Labor Day holiday would likely send more people to the emergency room seeking treatment for COVID-19. “Unfortunately, we will see our numbers rise, so we have to continue to be strong and resilient.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-a-miami-florida-hospital-full-of-dying-unvaccinated-30-somethings-dying-of-covid-19

[Traildogbob]

10. Wait until

Packed college and pro football stadiums without masks and screaming wide open mouths get to spewing the virus around. By late September we will be stacking bodies in the streets for buzzards to eat. Labor Day parties is the least of our worries. But at least we are saving the fetuses to repopulate.

[FreepFryer]

12. +1 (Nt)

[Joinfortmill]

11. It was a beautiful and meaningful poem.

[FreepFryer]

13. Indeed.

That’s why i said what I said:

All good, except - they didn't break us. Never give them the satisfaction

[scipan]

22. It is very possible for people to"break" or suffer burnout.

And there you are, whipping a horse who has been abused and starved and can't take another step. Yes we are an animal just like that horse.

I can't imagine the inhumanity it must take to show zero empathy to someone who puts all their waking hours into service to others, only to have some angrily deny they even have covid, demand that you "fix" them, get angry when you have tried every tool in your toolbox and it's not enough, and most of all to my mind, refuse to vaccinate, a miniscule effort, because they choose to politicize that choice.

I'm not talking about the person you are responding to per se; I'm just talking about the majority of health care workers. You owe that person an apology but if I read you right, you won't give it because it would mean accepting you are wrong.

Reflect and reconsider. We are all human but not all of us have humanity.

[FreepFryer]

24. I was responding to the OP, a poem by an anon user, but I would apologize...

...were i not being ignored after the user screamed at me in just the same way they complained of having experienced themselves. I have empathy enough to have seen that and not returned it.

Were the poem attributed to a person, I would have responded differently. If I didn’t know healthcare workers who have been on the front lines this whole time, and who refuse to call themselves broken even when they break down, I would also have responded differently.

[scipan]

28. Okay. I didn't get the impression they were screaming, but

it's not always easy to figure out the emotions behind the text.

I know a lot of HCW have quit recently. I'm not going to judge them. I can't imagine what they are having to go through.

✌️

[BlueSky3]

15. Respect, hlthe2b,

is what I feel for you. And I am very sorry you’ve had to go through this, dealing with the unvaccinated who are denying care to the rest of us. But you, like the poem, seem to be an honorable person who will find a way to persevere. Sending positive energy and thanks.

[hlthe2b]

17. Thank you, BlueSky3. Your respectful comments are more appreciated than you know.

Sometimes all it takes after scores and scores of unpleasant people screaming at you, blaming you for their situation, is just one kind, understanding voice.

[FreepFryer]

18. Amen. (Nt)

[Chili]

19. I feel deeply for you, hlthe2b

If I were working so hard to keep these deniers alive while they take up beds for cancer patients, heart conditions, tragic accidents... I can't say that I could keep it up - my anger & disillusionment would make me so bitter I would have to quit.

Bless you & all your colleagues. May you all find the strength you need to carry on.

[hlthe2b]

25. thank you for your kind words, Chili. I will accept on behalf of countless others.

[scipan]

23. Most of us appreciate you. Maybe we should bring back

The applause, but I read more than once don't, just get the jab. Like many others I wish I knew a better way to be someone health care workers can lean on when they are tired.

[hlthe2b]

26. scipan, I appreciate your comments... Tremendously. Sometimes a few kind words

is all anyone really needs.. No matter the context or setting.

[scipan]

27. Thank you. I'm usually not very good at that.

[secondwind]

2. Very moving...

[ancianita]

3. Broworld be like "keep talking, you'll get over it."

[keithbvadu2]

14. Youtube researchers

[niyad]

16. . .

[Chili]

20. thank you babylonsister for posting this

[Evolve Dammit]

21. you're on your own is what I would add. It's a hoax, remember? You can stay away.

[OhioChick]

29. K&R