“This is the face of someone who feels punished for trying to be the ‘good guy,’” Oechsle wrote in a lengthy post. “My job as an ER nurse is just that: my job. I don’t ever feel like it’s anything crazy or special or deserving of accolades. Jason feels the same way as a firefighter/medic.
“But, our jobs are important right now, and unlike many, we are still required to work. And that work carries a high risk of being infected, or spreading this damn virus,” she continued. “We are like poison to her right now. We have been exposed, and we don’t want her to get it.”
She adds that her family's situation is not unique, emphasising the sacrifice that all health care and emergency professionals make each day.
“We have tons of co-workers and colleagues who have had to do the same thing,” Oechsle said. “Tons. Hundreds.”
The only way we can help protect them: staying home.
“If...you are having to stay home with your kids all day, consider it a blessing and absolutely NOTHING less,” Oechsle wrote. “And for heaven’s sake, everyone, STAY. AT. HOME. The sooner this crap is over, the quicker my kid can come home.”