BLOOMSBURG, Pa. — A nurse from Bloomsburg has been using his skills in the intensive care unit to help healthcare workers fight COVID-19 right on the front lines in New York City.
Luke Adams, a father of two, says when he heard to call for help in the city, he didn't hesitate to join the battle.
“I left my home knowing and being okay with the fact that I would probably test positive at some point; it was a calculated risk, it was more important for me to come,” intensive care nurse Luke Adams.
Speaking to Newswatch 16 over his iPhone, Adams describes making the decision to leave his family behind in Bloomsburg and head to the front line of the coronavirus battle in New York City. Hearing the dire need for health care workers there, Adams says he found inspiration from the powerful images of first responders right after 9/11.
“I remember watching all the stories of the heroes of that day and they were just regular people, you know?” said Adams. “Regular people who just got up that day and were forced to something that they never thought would have to do.”
Adams, a married father of two young children, has been in New York for the last three weeks. While he now has a hotel, he first had a make-shift home in the back of an SVU he rented before leaving Bloomsburg. His day starts at 4 a.m., with him returning to his room around 8 p.m.
“We haven't gotten ahead of this disease in terms of treating people, we haven't had a lot of success stories yet just simply because the disease's progression does take weeks,” said Adams.
Adams has been broadcasting live on Facebook to answer questions about what's happening in New York.
“Do you think New York has reached the apex? Sorry if you answered that already,” read Adams from his screen. “It's just a little too early to tell, I know some hospitalizations have leveled off.”
Adams says it's hard to remain positive in the midst of so much loss but he must try for his patients and his coworkers.
“Banding together in the community, people donating food, the random messages that I get every day from people that I don't know, just offering support and encouragement,” said Adams. “And then we just try to take that into the hospital every day.”