Members of the Department of Neurology stroke team at The Mount Sinai Hospital.
When COVID broke out, I was left in limbo—wanting to help, but not yet having the clinical skills to do so. As a scholarly year student, I joined the Precision Recovery hotline, which was a partnership between the two departments I worked with during the year (Neurosurgery, and Rehabilitation and Human Performance).
Fielding calls, I heard from a range of patients, from those concerned about their symptoms to others who were just discharged. A week later, I was blindsided when my dad became a COVID-19 patient. His case was severe. He suffered a stroke, the virus had spread, and with his altered mental state, I felt as if I lost him for a while.
Daniel Chiu, MD, a Neurology resident at The Mount Sinai Hospital, had an unparalleled level of empathy. This was evident in the daily updates I got about my father and the FaceTime calls he set up for us, especially the one on my birthday. The clinical attention and compassion my dad received are all marks of an extraordinary doctor. Although I’m not on the front lines, I’m certain that Dr. Chiu is upholding the integrity of the field we all entered.
There are so many more people I’d like to thank – Christopher Kellner, MD; David Putrino, PT, PhD; Trevor Pour, MD; Laura Stein, MD, and every other member of my Mount Sinai family. Because of them, my dad is going home today. May God bless every single health care worker out there right now. Stay safe. Stay strong.
Submitted by
Rebecca Baron
Scholarly Year Student
Medical Education
The Mount Sinai Hospital