"Today I leave this ICU a changed person": Coronavirus patient leaves touching note for hospital staff after recovery
A coronavirus patient who received care in the medical intensive care unit at Cleveland Clinic was discharged this week and left behind a touching message for the staff there. The patient wrote a note on the glass door of the isolation room where caregivers had frequently communicated with him, Cleveland Clinic shared on Instagram.
"This window has been the most impactful window in my life," the patient wrote in black marker on the glass. "On days when I watched you work hard to keep me and others alive, unable to thank you for the time that you poured into me — and although I will probably never get the chance to pour that same love and support into you, I want you to know that I think you all are rockstars."
"I watched some of you have good nights and some bad nights but what was consistent every night was that you care for people," the note continued.
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"Today I leave this ICU a changed person, hopefully for the better, not only because of your medical healing and God's direction and guidance, but with the fact of knowing that there are such wonderful people dedicated to the care and concern of others," he wrote. "God bless each of you."
Cleveland Clinic shared a photo of the note on Instagram Tuesday. "To our caregivers, you uplift and inspire us all," they wrote in the caption.
Doctors, nurses and other health care professionals are feeling the weight of the pandemic more than anyone — and this patient's message shows the impact they can make.
As of Tuesday, there were 564 coronavirus cases in Ohio and 145 hospitalizations, according to the Ohio Department of Health, which updates its numbers at 2 p.m. daily. In other parts of the country, like New York, hospitals are rapidly becoming overwhelmed with coronavirus patients, and there is worry that they won't be able to keep up with the demands.
Many health care systems are experiencing a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), which is making their jobs tougher – and their exposure to the coronavirus more likely.
"I think we forget that physicians and nurses and health care professionals are human too," Dr. K. Kay Moody told CBS News medical contributor Dr. Tara Narula last week. "We walk to the bedside, like we always do, but now we are knowing that we are not protected and we're facing our own death."
Doctors and nurses have turned to the public for help in getting masks and other PPE. Many companies have donated masks and some volunteers are even sewing them by hand.
In New York City, where a shortfall of health care professionals is expected as the number of coronavirus cases continues to increase, 1,000 retired health care workers volunteered to join the fight, Mayor Bill de Blasio said last week. The mayor called it a "war effort," and said the volunteers are "inspiring."