My Heroes are Now the World’s Heroes
I tried to go to my friend’s house before the safer at home order was issued. I argued with my mom, who stopped me from going out even though she risks her safety to go to work. I didn’t think of the risks of going out to visit my friend. I ended up not going because something my mom said had struck me. While arguing, I brought up how she still goes out to which she responded she had no choice even though she’s scared.
Like thousands of other people in Los Angeles, my parents are health care workers during the coronavirus pandemic. Their jobs only increase their terror and mine. There are about 6,000 hospice nurses and about 1.5 million certified nursing assistants (CNA) in the United States. My mom works as a hospice nurse. My dad works as a CNA at a hospital for terminally ill elderly patients. Both my parents have to leave the safety of their homes and interact with dozens of people to do their job.
My mother expressed that she doesn’t want to go to work because she’s scared that she might come in contact with someone who shows any of the symptoms of COVID-19. My father hasn’t expressed his concerns or fear as my mother has. The only reason my parents still go to work is because we still have bills to pay and necessities to buy. Without my parents’ salary, we wouldn’t be able to afford them.
Working as health care providers has been stressful for them, especially with all the precautions. Before entering their patient’s hospital room or their homes, my parents need to have their temperature taken, they have to wear masks, gloves, and remove their shoes. They described how the working environment is tense.
My mother mentioned that a lot of her patients have become a bit hostile and shoos her away, which makes doing her job a bit difficult. Patients have started to cancel the visits, and some started to refuse to let my mom into their homes.
After the argument that I realized my concerns about the safety of both my parents. I was starting to feel fear for my parents every time they walked out the door, especially after I heard my dad’s hospital might have a case. While nothing was confirmed because they are still waiting for test results, the nurses at the hospital are starting to become anxious.
My mom travels to various locations to see her patients. One of the places I was most concerned about was Pasadena and Santa Clarita. My mom has patients in both areas, and they were areas that had confirmed coronavirus cases. Her patients didn’t live anywhere close to where the cases were confirmed, but that didn’t stop me from being worried.
My 9-year-old sister has started to worry too. My sister has begged my parents not to go to work on more than one occasion because she’s scared they might get infected with the virus. It has become especially hard on her. She always tells me she wishes they had different jobs, and there are times when she has cried because, like me, she thinks of the worst-case scenarios.
There wasn’t much we could do about the situation. The only solution I could come up with was to try to relieve some of their stress at home by helping out with chores and with keeping my sister occupied. I can only hope their workplaces are doing everything they can to keep their employees safe.
Watching my parents leave for work every day is a challenge because I let my imagination run wild and think of every worst-case scenario. I think about all the news I’ve read about the coronavirus outbreaks in other nursing homes, I can’t help but think that this can happen to one of the nursing homes my parents work at, and that’s a very scary thought.
