Heartwarming Stories of Nurses Who Went Beyond Their Call of Duty

Article and Image Content shared from Readers Digest. Image credit: COURTESY MARK SHIPMAN

When it comes to kindness, compassion, and caring for others, nurses have us all beat. They work long shifts doing many of the tiny, important tasks that keep us healthy, everything from school nurses who fix booboos with Band-Aids and send kids back to the playground, to nurses in hospitals who perform complicated, life-saving maneuvers on the sickest patients every day. During the coronavirus crisis, nurses are the first line of defense in clinics against the ravages of COVID-19. Many even exceed the already arduous call of duty. These are some of their stories:

Adventurous nurse travels to the frontline

Sako Hirata, an ICU nurse, was working in a hospital in Wenatchee, Washington, when the coronavirus hit. The healthcare staff had seen only a few coronavirus cases and the hospital was relatively calm. Searching for a challenge and eager to contribute to battling the pandemic on a larger scale, Hirata offered her services to a New York City hospital. The climbing and paragliding enthusiast is spending six weeks on the east coast, utilizing her expertise and saving lives on the frontline.