Today’s #MotivationMonday hero is Katie Daza. Katie is a nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, NY. Katie became a Nurse five years ago, thanks in large part to the love and support of her Mom and Grandfather, “Poppy.” “They always believed in me and believed that I could do anything that I set me mind to. They got me through all of the ups and downs of life. From a young age, they taught me to face every challenge head on and to find some good when things seem at their worst.” While Katie has been risking her life everyday during the COVID-19 health crisis, the lessons learned from Mom and Poppy keep Katie positive everyday! We are honored to tell her story. “I don’t know where to begin. The last couple of weeks have been some of the hardest I’ve experienced in my career.” Nurses may be some of the most under appreciated people in our community. We often forget about their sacrifices, unless we need to visit a hospital. They choose this profession for one purpose: HELP PEOPLE.
As a nurse, we want to help, heal or provide comfort to people who are at the end of their lives. Right now, Corona has taken that from us. There’s anxiety, fear and tears before every shift.”
The hardest part for all us during the COVID-19 health crisis is the unknown. Hospitals are overrun and it’s hard for our medical workers to keep pace. We watch the news and we see the numbers of infected and deaths climbing. We keep hearing that we need to flatten the curve, but we don’t know when this will end. This is especially true for Katie and her team.
“We don’t know if we’ll be able to help, or what lies ahead. This is what is so gut wrenching. Despite all of this, we continue to fight – for our patients, for their families, for each other, for a light in all of the darkness.”
This is the kind of fearlessness, courage and dedication we often forget exists in our first responders. You are all part of a group of people who take care of us everyday. The job is never easy and it takes a group effort to save lives. However, Katie has been finding hope and strength in the little things. She is witnessing kindness and immense love from others every day.
“The other day, one of my best friends had a patient who wasn’t doing particularly well and, without hesitation, she announced, ‘I’m going to fix her.’ Another one of my best friends walks around the hospital and stops by to make sure that I’m not drowning and that I’m okay. And yet another one of my best friends listens to hours of venting and makes sure I have a shoulder to lean on.”
One of my favorite quotes is “One Team, One Fight” and this is the definition of that. However, Katie’s team includes more individuals than just her colleagues. It extends beyond the hospital . . .
“My friend started a campaign using his business to help raise money to send meals to the nurses that work at my hospital. Texts and messages on social media, Venmo transactions with heartfelt notes, pictures from my niece and nephew, shipments of gummy worms and fresh baked cookies, warm breakfasts and dinners, virtual game nights, cuddling with my pups, and my fiancé waiting at the door every morning with Lysol and a bag of clean cloths are amongst the list of things that help to keep me smiling and that give me hope!”
While many of us are lucky to be home right now, heroes like Katie and other first responders are doing all they can to win this war. We will never be able to repay them for what they’re doing for our country right now. But Katie has a message for her friends and family:
“Medical workers fight to heal, but our loved ones help give us that strength for that fight. Without the acts and words of love, this would be so much harder for us. Our friends, our families, even our acquaintances are our heroes right now and there’s no thank you big enough to express what they’ve meant to me!”
We are so grateful to have fearless first responders like Katie in the field. We are sending all of our love to them during this time! From Marcus and our family here at HDMH – THANK YOU KATIE!!
Katie has one last message for all of us . . .
“We will get through this. We will beat this. And we will do it together! #HDMH” - @KatieDaza
If you would like to share your story and be considered for our Motivation Monday Blog posts, please submit your story along with photos and how you relate to the HDMH Movement to one of the following:
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