Russell Medical respiratory therapist Buffy Colvin faces a daily emotional struggle as she sits in her car and cries after work as a way to cope with the amount of severe illness she is bearing witness to due to COVID-19.
“We’re used to fixing people; we don’t lose people on a regular basis,” Colvin said. “I cry a lot and have to learn to deal with it. It helps me feel better and I call my mom who tells me to be strong and gives me a pep talk. Then I am able to go ahead and do what I need to do. I build myself up to come back to work the next day.”
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