As a physician assistant working in oncology at a multiple myeloma center in New York City, Alex Kaiser gives us a glimpse of what it's like to be a healthcare provider who is not treating COVID-19 patients during this pandemic. She explains how she’s supporting her patients through and how she’s finding ways to support herself.
Despite her hard work and dedication to her patients and her community, Alex explains how many health care workers not on the ‘front lines’ (ie. emergency room, COVID-19 units) are currently feeling a sense of survivors’ guilt, “Because we don’t have N95 (surgical mask) bruises on our faces or we’re not holding patients' hands as they die, it’s easy to feel like I’m not doing enough.” However, Alex discovered that this comparative guilt does not serve her, and decided to take a new approach.
When asked what else she wanted to leave our listeners with, Alex wanted to emphasize the importance of practicing self-compassion, “We’re all experiencing a collective trauma, and whatever you’re doing is enough. Be kind to others, and especially yourself. Accept the situation because it’s not changing, and fighting it will only make it harder. And as Phish says, Just relax, you’re doing fine.”
We wanted to leave you with a link to a Go Fund Me project she started. Alex quickly figured out that the subway was no longer safe and found alternative ways to commute. She was made aware that, despite feeling "terrified" on their ways to and from work, many of the hospital's support staff didn't have the luxury of avoiding those crowded trains. This Go Fund Me page is dedicated to raising money for gift cards to ensure support staff have access to taxis or Ubers and can commute in a much safer way. You can support Alex’s fundraising campaign here.
Read more about Alex's story and suggested quick self care activities from the Playing to Live clinical team inspired by her story on our blog.
Do you know someone working on the front lines of the COVID-19 response? We want to hear from them. Please connect us with them by emailing us at info@playingtolive.org. And finally, please subscribe to our podcast, give us a rating, leave a comment, and share the podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. We need your help to share this important story.
A special thanks to Alex for her time to talk with us. Thanks to Josh Carter for the theme music, find more at https://prettylittlegoat.com, and to Lindsay Bingaman for writing our blog.