Kay Hively: The heroes around us

I know a lady who is a home health nurse and works for a company that supplies the homebound with nurses like her. She spends most of her time visiting and helping the sick and elderly in their home. She visits with them, takes care of their medicine, provides therapy and a thousand other things.

She loves her job and is very good at it.

The nurses in her region usually takes care of about 30 people each week. And that keeps them busy—probably too busy.

But things have changed with the virus that has plagued the world.

The nurses are now carrying about 80 patients, and the load is tremendous. My friend puts in many long hours and, I fear, she is going to break down. She gets very little rest and is always scrambling for supplies. Her friends give her extra masks, gloves and even bottles of alcohol from their personal supplies. And we hope to give her more if she needs something.

My friend is one of millions of people who are risking their lives to take care of you and me. Firefighters, policemen, delivery drivers, store clerks, armed forces personnel, letter carriers and everyone who works in or for medical facilities serve us around the clock.

I cannot imagine my friend quitting her job as she seems duty bound to take care of her patients.

We must hope that everyone is doing all they can for the helpless, which may mean giving a little relief to the medical community. Many of the people who need help may not have the virus, but are frail and cannot care for themselves. Ordinary people can’t help but fear they are bringing the virus in to those who are vulnerable.

If we get an opportunity to help the helpers, we should do so. Maybe they would appreciate masks, toilet paper, a nutritious evening meal, or a case of bottled water to use as they make their drive from place to place. Not only would they benefit from these physical things, they would be grateful for the care and concern that people have for them personally.

There is a lot of help around, from schools giving out lunches to kids to seamstresses making masks.

Most of us know at least one of these heroes; be they nurses, doctors, first responders, store clerks, or others. Please remember them in some way when the opportunity arises. It will not only help them, but will make you will feel better for helping them.

Just between you and me, we are all in this boat together on a wild and dangerous sea, but if we all row together, we will survive.

(Kay Hively is a historian, author and former editor, reporter and columnist for the Neosho Daily News and Neosho Post.)