SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – This is what we want to see: The staff at Sentara Obici Hospital celebrated a special moment Tuesday, as the first COVID-19 patient to be admitted into the ICU was discharged from the hospital. He’s going home!
Video Sentara Healthcare shared in a Facebook post shows staff cheering and clapping as the patient made his way toward the exit. He waved back in gratitude.
“Yesterday when we saw him leave, it was very emotional,” said ICU registered nurse Whitney Irvine.
Three weeks ago, the man suffering from the coronavirus came into Obici. He quickly ended up in the ICU.
“He was our first very, very sick ICU patient from COVID,” Irvine added.
Nurses cared for the man around the clock. They became his family, because family members weren’t allowed to see him due to restrictions.
“Everyone has loved on him and has prayed for him and has been there for him,” Irvine said. “If you are not there physically, he has been on your mind and in your thoughts constantly.”
The patient fought for his life as other patients with the same illness began being admitted one after another after another.
“It’s hard,” Sentara respiratory therapist Anissa Strickland added. “It’s hot. It’s sweaty We have seen one another with just sweat rolling off your brow. We are just trying to work together to get the best outcome we can for these patients.”
Sometimes, they say, it seems overwhelming.
“As a nurse, we do what we do and go in there and care for them and do what we are trained to do,” said ICU unit coordinator Brenda Layton.
All that hard work paid off when the patient who nearly died was healthy enough to leave.
“Seeing him leave, that was so worth everything,” Irvine added. “His wife was standing on the outside of the hospital just waiting to receive him and it was very, very emotional because she hadn’t seen or touched him in three weeks. I just think that is really what we needed to see. We need to keep fighting and just keep pushing forward.”
Coleen Santa Ana, president of Sentara Obici Hospital, said it was an incredible moment to witness. She said the entire hospital team is showing amazing strength and saving lives.
