NH Family Who Lost Father to COVID-19 Make Surprise Donations to the Staff

Get your tissues ready.  I cried when I read this story from WMUR.com about a family who lost their father to COVID-19.  You might recall the family after a photo of the nurses at the ICU unit of Catholic Medical Center displaying a handwritten note saying, “He is at peace” and “We are so sorry.”  It breaks my heart that this insidious virus means so many loved ones are dying alone, not surrounded by family members who love them.  But my heart fills with gratitude to the hard-working nurses who are saddened by each loss.  Since the Manchester family could not visit their father, the nurses gave the family as compassionate an update as they could through the window.

The Johnson siblings tell WMUR.com that the experience has brought them closer.  No one could have anticipated the outpouring of support for this family.   They are so shocked that they are coming up with ways to say thank you to the ICU nurses who cared for their father at the Catholic Medical Center.  Just Sunday night the family donated 10 heart-shaped pizza for the staff, but they aren’t stopping there.  The Johnson’s say this is just the beginning.  “These donations are coming from all over.  I had people from Australia, South Africa, Nigeria.  I mean people from all over are sending me wild messages,” said Angela Daneault.

Here is the part that really got me.  Angela Daneault went on to say “We’re in the process of reaching out to somebody to see if they can make a bulk order of masks and we’re going to try to distribute that out on the community because that’s truly what that staff asked for.  The nurses first thought was for their community.  Saying thank you just seems so hollow given the kindness ad selflessness these nurses are demonstrating but thank you.  Thank God for nurses.  They are Angels on earth.