I am a former ER nurse, so I thought I had seen the worst.

A nurse shares her experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, and her gratitude for the public’s support.

I’m sharing this story because I want to bring awareness to the things I am seeing.

I am a Registered Nurse working in New York City. I have been taking care of COVID-19 patients since day 1. I work in a post-anesthesia care unit, but our whole unit was converted into a COVID-19 ICU to handle the increased patient load from COVID-19. 

Along with my colleagues, we took care of very sick patients who were on ventilator support. To see so many people die really took a toll on me. I am a former ER nurse, so I thought I had seen the worst. But this COVID-19 is a totally different level. 

The saddest part has been trying hard to save everyone, but being unable to do so. The first two weeks were hard on me that I came home crying after every shift. However, having a support system was what saved me. 

I learnt to accept the reality early on, and told myself that there is only so much I could do. It’s pointless worrying about something that I cannot do. I think I have come out stronger, and I feel very fortunate to be able to help my patients when they needed it most. 

Treating every patient like my own family is what kept me going. I try to hold my patients’ hands during every shift and say a little prayer for them. It’s been a tough ride for all of us on the frontline but we continue to do our best. 

We are very grateful for everyone’s support and prayers and I want to say thank you for thinking about us. We are all better together. ❤️

Tenzin Kunsang, RN, New York, USA