MINNEAPOLIS — As the latest surge in COVID-19 cases pushes Minnesota hospitals to the brink, a number of traveling ICU nurses have helped supplement a workforce stretched thin.
For one of them, 30-year-old Lasker Cruz, of Chicago, it's a job he never imagined taking when 2020 began.
"I like to travel, but I didn't know I'd be traveling as a nurse," Cruz said. "Let alone being in Minnesota."
In March, Cruz signed a contract to travel to St. Paul and join the staff at Bethesda Hospital, as it transitioned into the country's first dedicated COVID-19 hospital.
He says the thought of moving away from his girlfriend, two kids and extended family seemed unthinkable back in January, but his mindset changed when COVID came to Chicago.
"Probably the sixth death in Chicago was from the hospital that I was in, and I took care of that particular patient," Cruz said. "So I was just scared to death to come home, say hi to my kids and give them a hug. I had to hide from them. And the fact that my household has 3-4 senior citizens, I didn't know what I would do if they got sick, especially if it was because of me. That was going to be a really difficult pill to swallow."
Not that it was a lot easier leaving. Cruz was walking into a dedicated COVID ICU that had never existed before. He was also traveling to a city where he knew nobody on just two days notice.
"I really have to jump from hotel to hotel, find the best deals that I can to save money and, at the same time, send it home while I work," Cruz said. "And that's how it's been for the past eight months."
Late last month he finally got an extended break. He returned to his family in Chicago just before Thanksgiving.
"I asked for this two week break to celebrate my daughter's fourth birthday," Cruz said. "I haven't been around them for so long, so the very least I can do is be there on her special day."
But he likely won't be there for the holidays. On Monday, he'll rejoin his team, which now works out of St Joe's hospital. He just signed a new contract that will keep him in Minnesota until March.
Kent Erdahl: "How hard is it to say goodbye again?"
Cruz: "I think about it as a tradeoff. If I have to not see them for a few months, but see them later on for many, many years, I don't mind at all. I felt like it was the best decision for me to protect my family from me, and at the same time, to do my job as an ICU nurse and really contribute a lot."
Erdahl: "That's pretty incredible to spend that much time in one place, especially as a traveling nurse, where you know you could make more money in other states, in other places right now. Why stay?"
Cruz: "I love the people I work with in Minnesota, and I think that's the main reason why I stayed. You have to have someone that's always there for you because sometimes the emotions are too overwhelming, especially for patients that are in the process of dying. I've had a few nurses that have cried on my shoulders. We all have to take time sometimes, when you do your best and it's not enough, you just have to step out, and it's nice to just really have that team."
Erdahl: "It sounds like a family."
Cruz: "Yes, it is basically."
Erdahl: "As someone who has clearly made huge sacrifices to help with this. What would you say to others in the public right now?"
Cruz: "I know a lot of people complain about how difficult it is to put on a mask, to deal with the lockdown, and social distance. But all of us healthcare workers, we're dealing with it like five times as hard as anybody else. We have to be, not just miles away from family, but we are constantly wearing our mask, PPE, every single shift for 12 hours. We're stuck in our hotels, and sometimes we do get sick too. I just want people to take it seriously because the more we take it seriously, the easier it is for us to recover."