Ackerman was supposed to be on her way home after three weeks on the front line, but instead will continue working 14-hour days in New York at least through July.
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“She’s going to stay until she’s not needed anymore,” said Chelsea Butcher, a friend and former co-worker who now has two children who are patients of Ackerman’s. “She’s so genuine and she treats every patient she sees like that’s the only patient she’s seeing for the day.”
After a recent check-in phone call with Ackerman on a particularly tough day at the hospital, Butcher knew she needed to do something to make the rest of Ackerman’s stay in New York feel as close to home as possible.
At Bellevue, Ackerman told Butcher that every time a coronavirus patient is healthy enough to get off their ventilator, the hospital plays “Don’t Stop Believing” over the intercom system. Last week, Ackerman said the song did not play once as there were many deaths that day.
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During another phone call the pair had a couple of days later, Ackerman talked about how sad she will be if she’s not home in time to do Butcher’s youngest daughter’s one-year check-up.
“Even if she’s back in time in July, she’ll probably be quarantining,” Butcher said. “She was really bummed. So she’s there in NYC in a hospital, working 14-hour days and she’s sad that she can’t do my daughter’s check-up. That’s the kind of person she is.”
Butcher hopes to get enough people to pitch-in for a thoughtful care package to help Ackerman feel as much love as possible as her stay continues in her small New York City hotel room.
“Self-care items, snacks, stuff she can stash in her scrubs — they don’t get a lot of down time,” Butcher said. “Being in the epicenter where the cases are at a massive influx, she’s on her feet all day.”
As most stores in New York City are closed, Butcher said, it’s been difficult for Ackerman to buy almost anything. Purchasing an Amazon gift card to send in the care package could help Ackerman buy the things she does not have time to go out and find, Butcher said.
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Anyone who wants to contribute to the care package should email Butcher at cebutcher26@gmail.com by next Friday to coordinate what to they would like to buy. Butcher said she will work with anyone to pick up supplies or gifts they’d like to send as a part of the package.
Ackerman has only taken one day off since she’s been there and she took it to do laundry and sleep, according to Butcher.
“Nurses are scared to wear their scrubs out to the grocery store because people fear them. …. I don’t think that’s how it should be at all,” Butcher said.
Butcher said she just wants to shine a positive light on health care workers in Dayton and everywhere.
“For her (Ackerman) to leave her home, her family and friends and want to go take care for the sickest of the sick is just amazing,” Butcher said.
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