Breath is Life
John Dvorak describes being a respiratory therapist during the pandemic as a battle. He works part time and says the physical and mental stress has been difficult. Yet he picks up extra shifts when possible because he knows his colleagues need the help and he doesn’t want them to feel alone.
John Dvorak
As a respiratory therapist, we play the most vital role in terms of a patient’s breath, because if a patient can’t breathe, they die. In our role, there aren’t any drugs that can make the lungs take a deeper breath or expand the lungs. No drugs can make a patient breathe like what we do for our patients. There aren’t a lot of people in the community who can truly sympathize with what respiratory therapists deal with. I’ve cared for patients where afterward, I need to find a closet, shed a tear, and then move on with my work.
“No drugs can make a patient breathe like what we do for our patients.”
John Dvorak, Respiratory Therapist
I remember a patient who was intubated, but not going to survive. Visitors weren’t allowed so we had the family connected through Skype on the iPad before we extubated. I’ll never forget the wailing, the tears, and the grieving of that family over Skype because their loved one was going to die. That was one of the worst experiences. I felt helpless. I felt like I couldn’t do anything. I also remember another patient who was about to be intubated. We had his wife connected on an iPad. I could see the fear in his eyes and the fear that he felt. So I gave him a hug on his wife’s behalf because all she could do is talk to him through a screen. I think that helped, but I could see he was afraid. Afraid of everything that would happen, including the possibility of dying.
All I want to do is provide comfort to patients. Because the last thing I want for somebody who’s worried about what’s going to happen to their family and is afraid of dying is to feel that nobody around them cares.