Today was mostly a good day, at least as far as Covid ICU days go. No one died overnight. That's a win.

In even bigger news, we actually took a patient off the ventilator because he was doing WELL!!! He met a spontaneous standing ovation & cheers from everyone on the unit.

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Picture that—we’re all in gowns, masks, eye protection. We’re so covered up we probably wouldn’t recognize each other if we walked by one another on the street without masks.

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We’re worn down by the onslaught of Covid, dark circles under our eyes and indelible ink spots on our souls representing all the losses we’ve experienced.

And all of a sudden one patient has a good outcome?

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We couldn’t contain our glee!

This patient got a second round of applause when the night shift came in and saw him doing well. That tells you a little about what’s been going on here.

This was a BIG DEAL.

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Extubating patients because they no longer need respiratory support used to be a normal thing in ICUs. But the teams here have gotten used to losing 1, 2, 3 patients a day.

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Anyone moving in a positive direction is a remarkable anomaly at which we marvel, like a flower growing up through a crack in a sidewalk.

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We’re still admitting new patients with Covid, but not at the brisk pace of recent weeks.

People are starting to feel like maybe they can exhale the breath they’ve been holding for weeks. But they’re also anxious about when the next wave will hit.

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One woman’s young children are living in Canada until….well, until who knows when? When will it be safe for them to come back?

There are so many questions we don’t have answers to. But when there is a little light in the darkness, we need to hold onto that light.

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On a personal note, not only did I get my @thisisfabled scrubs today, but I also finally got some alcohol wipes (huge shout out to whoever sent these!) for my room.

In the words of Ice Cube, “I can’t believe, today was a good day.”

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