Over the course of 30+ years of clinical practice as a Pulmonologist and Critical Care specialist at the Holy Name Hospital Medical Center, I have encountered countless cases of severe illness in the Intensive Care Unit setting. Having trained at NYU/Bellevue in the early 80’s and then at Einstein/Jacobi, I experienced firsthand the early AIDS epidemic and worked on highly resistant tuberculosis wards.

 

These experiences, however, were dwarfed by the overwhelming darkness that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the entire world and specifically to my Teaneck community.

 

I had to quickly overcome the initial trepidation of directly caring for hundreds of COVID patients, and thankfully, although there was indescribable illness and death, it was counterbalanced by the multiple victories I experienced with so many lives being saved.  What was so incredibly humbling was how the Holy Name Hospital medical community had to quickly “learn” how to combat such a deadly infection. Physicians from multiple institutions and different countries were tirelessly collaborating to share experiences and develop treatment protocols.

 

I thank Hashem for providing me, a child of Holocaust survivors, with the training and fortitude necessary to serve on the front line in the treatment and care of COVID-19 patients.  The intense relationships I developed with both long standing and new patients will, hopefully, continue to strengthen my commitment and passion for my profession.