Selmer nurse speaks out while working in Queens during pandemic

QUEENS, N. Y. — A nurse from McNairy County took a leap of faith and now works in the state hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the New York State website, 282,143 people statewide tested positive for COVID-19.

“The reason why I became a nurse is because back in 2010, I almost lost my dad to pulmonary embolisms,” ICU crisis COVID-19 nurse Brianne Knight said. “And just the care those nurses and doctors did for my dad, I just wanted to return the favor. These nurses need my help, these patients need my help, so I didn’t hesitate to come.”

Knight, originally from Selmer, now works as an ICU crisis COVID-19 nurse at a hospital in New York City.

She has three patients right now, and may get a fourth one. She says the normal patient to nurse ratio is two to one.

In one day, she had five patients and two died. One of her patients was a 34-year-old woman who died from the virus.

“I couldn’t imagine my life being cut that short, unless God was sending me home. I couldn’t imagine it, and then leaving 4 kids,” Knight said.

The other was a 77-year-old man.

“Just hearing his son’s voice, asking us to please do everything, and then hearing his voice after we told him his father didn’t make it,” Knight said.

She says while working in the ICU, they don’t usually see patients improving.

Some improve, but she says 75 percent return to the ICU.

“We do have some discharges, and some of those discharges, those patients are not positive for coronavirus,” Knight said.

As for personal protective equipment, Knight said they have enough N95 masks, but are out of gowns.

“I have to have the same gown on to go into all of my patients’ rooms, all of them. We’re all searching the hospital for gowns,” Knight said.

Despite wearing PPE, some of her coworkers are getting sick.

Unfortunately, one of them died last weekend.

“It’s kind of a slap in healthcare providers’ faces when we lose our lives, and we get sick,” Knight said.

Knight says she wants you to take this pandemic seriously.

“With you not taking this seriously, it’s like you basically writing your own suicide note because it doesn’t matter how old you are, it doesn’t matter what past medical history you have. You still can get coronavirus,” Knight said.

Knight says to stay home and take care of yourself.