In Sacramento, some go above and beyond to help others during coronavirus pandemic

Several weeks ago, I sat at an outdoor midtown Sacramento brewery with a friend to enjoy a cold beverage on an uncharacteristically warm February night – 70 degrees, with a few stars bedazzling the Sacramento sky.

We sat by the fire and talked, unavoidably, about the new cases of COVID-19 that had been reported throughout California. It had already affected my hospital co-workers, some of whom had been placed on precautionary quarantine. I sat and watched the ephemeral flames in the fireplace flick in and out of existence, appreciating one of nature’s rawest illustrations of impermanence and mortality.

My mind was elsewhere, carried by thoughts of the future, grasping in vain at the gravity of the epidemic unfolding before our eyes. There had been scares before – MERS, SARS, Ebola – but this felt different.

After a lengthy hiatus rotating through other hospital services, I was finally heading back to the Emergency Room. Prior to my arrival to the hospital for my shift, breaking stories continued to emerge detailing the latest in professional sports league closures, school closures, work-from-home mandates and international travel restrictions.

A pang of envy struck me briefly at the thought that others would get to stay home while my colleagues and myself would have to continue to work. But this feeling was banished quickly by my internal sense of duty that drove me into this profession in the first place.

I would be lying if I did not admit that a deeper part of me is excited by the opportunity to be at the heart of this international health crisis – to stand at the frontlines and answer the call.

I was a few hours into my shift and had already taken care of two patients with suspected COVID-19 when my attending physician entered our “doc box” and announced that there was wedding cake in the break room.

Due to the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the outbreak, a local wedding had to be canceled, leaving a local cake shop, with nothing to do with three freshly-prepared wedding cakes. I quickly finished what I was doing, and was able to get myself a slice of pistachio cheesecake (a lot better than it sounds). Above and Beyond Cakes, not wanting the cake to go to waste, brought it to the place where perhaps it would be most appreciated – a hospital.

This small and delicious gesture filled me with gratitude and reminded me of the immense humanity within us all, and the ability we have to come together as a community. As evidenced by the recently unveiled federal economic stimulus package, small businesses such as Above and Beyond Cakes will be hardest hit by the economic impact of the coronavirus.

While I can make no formal recommendations above those already produced by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), please remember to support your local small businesses, take care of one another, wash your hands, avoid unnecessary social contact.

Remember: We will make it through this!