Jackie Korhut found herself in the eye of the COVID-19 hurricane in early December.
Inside a silent room at an otherwise empty bedside, the Indiana Regional Medical Center nurse said a prayer while holding her 80-year-old patientâs hand during his final moments.
Outside the hospital room, alarms were beeping during a âflood of sounds and emotionâ â co-workers rushing to treat an almost endless inbound wave of sick or fading patients, she said.
And just beyond those walls, her patientâs grandson stood alone in a waiting area, grappling with the reality that the man he cherished was dying.
âTo a lot of people right now, itâs easy to see these deaths as just a number,â she said. âBut itâs different when itâs someone you love, or someone you work so hard to take care of â only to watch them go to the other side. Weâre in here every single day doing whatever we can to save these people.â