Thank You to Our Heroes!

Lauren Willdeboer, ER RN University of Louisville Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky

Today we want to honor Lauren Willdeboer,  ER RN University of Louisville Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky. Here is her story as reported by Bethanni Williams of WHAS11 ABC.

A Louisville nurse is on the front lines working in New York City right now. She says after seeing Kentucky do such a great job flattening the curve she felt the need to help out where healthcare workers were needed.

"It's one of the hardest things I've ever experienced. I knew it was going to be hard, but I didn't know it was going to be this hard," Lauren Willdeboer said. Since April 17,  the now-former UofL nurse Lauren Willdeboer and her friend have been in New York City.

"It's like I'm back in the 1950's as far as resources go,  as far as staffing goes, and how we're handling the patient loads that we have here," Willdeboer said. Lauren Willdeboer is a Louisville native. She's been a registered nurse for about three years since graduating from Spalding University.

"This is my eleventh day working in the hospitals in New York City," Willdeboer said. She'll work 21 days in a row 13 to 14-hour shifts dealing with hardships we have never experienced before.

"They are mentally with it and they know what's going on, but they can't breathe and they keep telling you, I can't breathe, I can't catch my breath. It's heartbreaking to watch," Willdeboer expressed. Willdeboer is doing her best to help the thousands of Covid-19 patients that go through the Emergency Department.

"There's nothing that we know that's confirmed that works to help these people," Willdeboer said. Despite the long hours, the mental and physical wear this pandemic is surely having on our healthcare workers...it's a decision that Lauren hasn't looked back on.  

"It's the best thing you can do if you're able to help out where the need is and New York City is where the need is right now," Wildeboer said.

Thank you Lauren for your commitment, dedication, and compassion for your patients and communities.

If you have a story and pictures of a front line nurse you would like us to highlight on our website and social media, please email them to us at  info@helphopehonor.org.