This is my brother Matthew, a doctor going into battle on the front lines w/ #COVID19. His job involves intubating patients, which means his face is only a few inches away from a full blast of diseased droplets. His risk for infection is astronomically high, even with P.P.E. So, he needs ALL the extra protection he can get!
In this photo he's wearing the full proper protection available: One fitted N95 mask w/ a regular mask over to protect it. One pair of goggles over his eyes, and a visor to cover and protect the goggles. One head covering, AND a paper cover over that. The proper paper robe (and of course gloves). This is the minimum armor he needs to go up against the deadly coronavirus enemy and survive. But, supplies are dwindling!
Some things we may not have thought about: how hot and uncomfortable it quickly becomes for care providers wearing their armor. Also, how dangerous it is to keep wearing the lifesaving N95 masks for long periods of time. Ironically, it's very difficult to breathe in there! The masks are designed to filter and prevent droplets from getting in, but that also prevents taking in a fully oxygenated breath, and it impedes a full release of the CO2 when exhaling. Imagine trying to breathe in/out through a straw (or, having an asthma attack). Wearing a N95 mask feels like that. Never enough oxygen flow. So, as patients increase, more crises arise, work shifts lengthen, and care providers must keep breathing through a straw, building up CO2 - and that's if they are LUCKY enough to have a N95 mask! Otherwise, the tradeoff is taking big deep breaths of Coronavirus droplets.
There is also the exhaustion, stress, and discouragement fighting this war in the trenches.
I love my brother with all of my heart. He's compassionate, generous, funny, conscientious. A loving father of 2 sweet kids. He's one of my best friends. Please pray for Matt tonight, and ALL of the thousands of care workers just like him who are leaving their family, placing their own lives on the line hr after hr hoping to save the lives of strangers. PLEASE help these #trueheroes by distancing, washing hands, don't spread, stay home, KEEP WELL! Let's BEAT this thing!
