Bliss-ful smile lifts spirits of worn-out nurses

Former national sprint hurdler Andrea Bliss is leaning on her track and field journey to help navigate the challenges that the new coronavirus have presented.

Bliss currently lives in the United States where nearly 760,000 people have been infected with the virus and nearly 41,000 have died.

Working in the cafeteria of AdventHealth Hospital in Orlando, Florida, she has got a first-hand look at the toll combating the infection is having on doctors and nurses on the front lines through her interactions with them.

“The stories that you hear the nurses come in with – they are tired, they are overwhelmed. Sometimes you see them come and they are worn out,” the 39-year-old told The Gleaner.

Bliss revealed that in her role as cashier, interfacing with just about everyone, she tries to put a smile on the faces of staff who bear the brunt of the cases.

“Sometimes we just talk to them to [uplift] their spirits so they don’t feel like they are alone because they work with them (the patients) directly,” she said. “Sometimes you have to say something funny, let them smile, and forget about what is going on until they go back to their stations.”

CAREER PREP

She believes that her athletic career has prepared her to deal with the difficulties that the COVID-19 pandemic presents –mentally and physically.

“You go through the rough times, you go through the hard times, you go through the good times, you go through the bad times. Track and field prepares every athlete in life for all of this because it’s really tough,” she said.

In the midst of increasing numbers in Florida, she says that the hospital’s resources have not been stretched compared to those in other states. Strict health protocols have been imposed for both staff and patients. The residents of Orlando, she said, have been taking strict precautions.

“I think our hospital has done a good job controlling it. We have the cases, but it’s not like people [are] on the ventilator every day,” she said.

“We might have those cases, but it is not as much as other states. I think it’s more controllable, and people are listening and taking it a lot seriously.”

Bliss, who made the 400m hurdles semi-finals of the 2013 World Championships in Athletics and came fourth in the Commonwealth Games three years earlier, has been concerned about the sharp increase in positive cases back in Jamaica over the last week. Jamaica now has 196 COVID-19 cases and five related deaths.

Knowing how dire the situation is in states like New York, she is pleading with Jamaicans to obey the health guidelines to self-quarantine, exercise social distancing, or stay home as much as possible. New York has so far recorded 242,000 cases and nearly 14,000 deaths.

“The cases in New York, they are dropping like flies over there. And if they don’t take it serious, the same thing will happen,” she said.

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com