Join Librarian Hongmei and Livingston resident Hannah Yan for this informative interview.
Looking to submit your own story and experience? Click here to fill out the Life in Livingston During COVID-19: A Community Story form.
On May 23, Livingston Public Library librarian Hongmei Liu had a virtual interview with Hannah Yan, a nurse who works on the frontlines of Covid 19. Using many pictures and some videos, Hannah described what she has experienced on the frontlines. This video is posted at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShBs0fiY91I
Hannah, a Livingston resident, got transferred on March 16th from the Medical Adult Center to the Emergency Department at the Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck. As a triage nurse, she works outside in a tent and is the first face the admitted patients see. Not only has she witnessed so many patients’ physical struggles, she is also there for their emotional struggles.
Hannah said as a nurse, she should not only just help patients through her medical knowledge and experience, but also be there to comfort them and provide encouragement through devastating circumstances. At the hospital, family members would be grasping the uncertainty of their loved ones on sick beds. Hannah would sit with them and comfort them until they felt better.
What got her through these times were donations from residents and inspiring messages. She received so much support from her community through PPE donations. It’s because of donations that the hospital never ran out of PPE. In the midst of COVID-19, the operating room nurses hung up a poster they made that said “after every storm comes a rainbow”. This daily reminder gave her hope that this crisis will come to an end. Hannah thanks the community for the support and advises us to wash hands, keep social distancing, and to stay at home when you can.
-Hongmei, Adult Services & Acquisitions Librarian