A Health Care Hero

By Lily Hoffman 

    We read stories of mythical heroes battling mythical monsters. They battle monsters with five heads, snake for hair, venous breath, and claws but they don't stand a chance against the real villain. The real villain is invisible, you don't know when it strikes until it's too late. You can't breath, you become weak, and the only way to stop it is to give up everything. This villain isn't terrorizing some mythical hero, its terrorizing regular citizens. The people that you pass everyday on the street are dealing with this. But some stand out from the masses. The brave men and women that face this threat on the front lines. They risk their lives saving people. Healthcare workers are heroes that go through a hero story that is still being written to this day.  The Covid 19 virus is an infectous disease that attacks the lungs and airways. The virus was first reported in December of 2019. Covid is extremely contagious. It can be passed through close contact by breathing or toughing something with germs. Due to the variety of serenity in Covid cases and the contagious manner of the disease, many first responders are required to put themselves in danger in order to save others. 

    These first responders go through a journey not unlike a traditional hero journey. First, is the "call to adventure". While the Covid crisis can hardly be considered an "adventure", it is certainly a task. Nurses, doctors, paramedics, firefighters and other first responders all experienced a call to action when the Covid 19 virus exploded onto the global scene. All of a sudden, a large group of people were flooding the hospitals with a highly infectious disease with no cure. This first influx of new cases demanded that healthcare workers work around the clock. They must make sacrifices and join the fight against the Covid 19 virus.

    The crossing of the first threshold was made in the months of March and April. During these months the world started to notice this virus and the havoc it was reeking. This was when first responders had to not only go out and risk their lives to save others more often, but also had to come home to a life of quarantine. While they knew that this is the right thing to do, it became more and more difficult to live with. They could not see their family or friends, past traditions were postponed, and their social life came to a complete stop. These fully affected Covid months were the first crossing into the unknown and new. The next couple months are part of the Belly of the Whale. This new lifestyle becomes the new normal and they are fully submerged. First responders come home from the fight to a quarantined lifestyle everyday. It shows no sign of stoping. 

    Next comes the Road of Trials.  Even though health care workers are trying their hardest to save as many people as they can, not everyone is helping. As the summer months come in, people start to get loose with their quarantine. People start taking vacations, going out to eat, partying, going to mall, and host gatherings with many people. In return these people get sick or pass it to others. This makes a healthcare workers job 10 times harder. When people start to ignore these guidelines more people overload the hospitals. Even when it is pointed out what they are doing, some continue to do this. This presents a road of challenges for a first responder to overcome. More and more people need medical attention. This means more hours worked, more lives in danger, and more at risk.  Unfortunately, the hero journey is not over. There are still challenges, people still ignore guidelines and more and more people get sick. Unlike a  written story of mythical heroes such as Superman and Batman, this stories are still being written. The fight is not over. So what can we do? To make this hero journey finally end , we must follow guidelines. Quarantine and wear a mask. Help put this exhausting journey to a close.