INDIANAPOLIS — A local nurse is sharing an eye-opening look into 48 hours spent treating coronavirus patients at IU Health. Her Facebook post and plea for people to take the outbreak seriously has been shared almost 9,000 times and counting.
"Originally it wasn't even public," Taryna Bradley, a nurse at IU Health, said. "I had just made it just to my Facebook friend and I think one of the first few people who commented said, 'Hey, can I share this,' and I thought, 'Sure, whatever.'"
Bradley's decision to publicly share her thoughts is carrying her message to thousands of people.
"I really didn't expect it to be shared like it has been," she said.
Bradley describes talking to a patient who's asking if he's going to die, letting a married couple FaceTime each other to ease their worries, seeing her colleagues afraid and crying and shedding tears right along with them.
If that wasn't emotionally draining enough, Bradley then has to come home and face her family. She has four children, her youngest are 5 and 7.
"My boys especially they want to run up and hug me as soon as I walk in from work," Bradley said. "Normally, that's not a big deal, but these days it is. I have to tell them to back up and yell at them and say, 'Don't touch me, don't touch me.' It's just sad. It's hard for them to understand why."
Bradley said she knows there are going to be many more rough shifts ahead. Some of her co-workers have been infected and she along with so many others are worried they cold be next and take it home to their families. That's why she is hoping people take the time to listen to her story and do your part to stop the spread of COVID-19.
"If people don't listen and start doing what they're supposed to be doing it's gonna last a long time," Bradley said. "It'll be into the summer — a lot longer than people want."
Officials at IU Health said they have enough protective equipment, ICU beds and ventilators as they anticipate the surge of patients they expect to see in the coming weeks.
