‘I Knew the Test Was Positive Before They Called. I’m FaceTiming My Husband from the Other Side of the House’: Wife Asks for Prayers for Healthcare Worker Husband Who Risked His Life on the Frontlines

“Your prayers and thoughts are appreciated right now for my hero husband, Ian, who has been fighting the good fight every freaking day during this pandemic.

Like every brave healthcare worker, I know, he shows up to work, no matter the circumstances, to save peoples’ lives.

He doesn’t ask those people if they think he’s part of some giant conspiracy, or if they think Covid is fake, or who they voted for. He doesn’t ask whether or not they can pay their bill.

He doesn’t care. He just wants to make them well.

And doing this job, caring for others while risking himself, Ian contracted Covid19.

When people say to pray for the healthcare heroes who are on the frontlines, this is what we mean.

Right now, while their newsfeeds are full of conspiracy theory garbage, and their PPE is still lacking, while their pay is being cut and virus trajectories are trending upward…  healthcare workers are worn slap out.

I mean, gracious. What do we expect to happen?

Y’all. My husband is suffering. He’s about as sick as I’ve ever seen him. I saw zero light in his eyes yesterday and it scared the crap out of me. I knew the test was positive before they even called. But I still had to listen outside the door as a doctor told him, over the phone, to call 911 if he had chest pain. Other than that, he just has to tough it out.

Alone.

I’m FaceTiming him from the other side of the house to tell him I love him.

We are weighing what is right for our family:

Should I quarantine with him and keep the kids here, in case he gets worse?

Should I take our children (after my test results) and quarantine at a different home, to protect my son who has respiratory issues?

There is no right choice. I can’t freaking choose.

Please pray for my husband. Pray for all healthcare workers and their families.

And please think about what you are posting right now and how it impacts the people you call ‘hero.’”

**This post was written by Mary Katherine Backstrom and originally appeared on her Facebook page. This is a follow-up story to one previously posted on Faithit.