during this time of unprecedented uncertainty about the risk they face
every time they step foot in the OR. Still, when patients need care,
teams of dedicated professionals will deliver it.
"I chose to be a nurse, but I didn't choose to do it during a pandem-
ic," says Ms. Manzanares. "I'm not going to walk away. We all want
this to end, and we have to figure out how to get through it."
Better times ahead
There's hope amid reports the curve is beginning to flatten. Elective
surgeries are starting up again in certain parts of the country and opti-
mism is growing that the nation is emerging from one of its darkest
periods. "Once things settle down we'll be able to reflect on the mag-
nitude of what we did," says Ms. Marquis Farrar.
The days and nights are long for Ms. Borgonos, but she can't keep
from smiling when "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas plays
over the hospital's overhead speakers every time a patient is removed
from ventilation. It's a small gesture to mark big victories in the grad-
ual shift back to some semblance of normalcy, when the busiest of
days in the OR won't seem so bad after all.
In the meantime, talented and dedicated surgical team members will
continue to help the nation recover. "This is what we were born to
do," says Ms. Dyer. "We're in this together."
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