SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A UCSD nurse who answered the call to duty in New York City at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic is back home in San Diego. Ana Wilkinson spent more than a month in NYC’s emergency rooms.
She was greeted by her two young sons and her firefighter husband Thursday afternoon at Lindbergh Field.
“It was a life changing experience but I am glad to be home,” said Wilkinson.
RELATED: Nurses concerned about staffing at Tri-City Medical Center
Known as “the dancing nurse of Harlem” Wilkinson’s patient philosophy is that no one dies alone and would often dance to entertain patients and colleagues.
The ER nurse was there to hold the hands of many patients who did not survive the virus and could not have family by their side. She had served missions all over the world, but says nothing quite prepared her for her days in NYC watching patients fight COVID-19.
RELATED: Nurses concerned over lack of facial coverings, social distancing in public
“I just hope people take this seriously and wear their masks or it could be you or a loved one on that ventilator. It’s real and health care workers are dying from this. We all need to do our part and we get through this together,” said Wilkinson.