COVID-19’s Second Anniversary

A Reflection on Sorrow, Joy, Sacrifice and Triumph

On Friday, March 11, 2022, we mark the second anniversary of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. These past two years have been filled with days of sorrow, heartache, fear, and, at times, great joy and relief.

As a city, state, country, and world, we have faced unprecedented times, often with little experience or knowledge of what the best path forward might be. We have charted new paths and created novel treatments and preventative measures all while dealing with labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, and many other previously unimagined problems.

As a healthcare community, the colleagues and Medical Staff of St. Mary's have rallied and gone beyond the call of duty. It has been such an honor and a privilege to see all that has been done to ensure our community has been – and will continue to be – taken care of. We have seen colleagues continue to work despite family being ill. Colleagues have helped colleagues with bills, childcare, and have been a soft place to land when they were needed.

To honor the sacrifice of our colleagues and to recognize the suffering of patients that colleagues did so much to alleviate and heal, we will be planting flags on the campuses of all three of our hospital facilities. Each flag will stand for an inpatient who was treated at that facility for COVID-19. For some, these flags will represent the miracle of a loved one who made it through despite all the odds being against them. For others, the flags will symbolize a loss that they still mourn.

But for us all, the flags also stand for the sacrifice of our colleagues who gave so much. For those who worked tirelessly despite the despair that comes with fatigue. For those who sat and held hands when loved ones could not. For those whose countless acts of selflessness and love are known only to the angels looking down on us from Heaven.

God bless you all and please join us in prayer and reflection as we mark this momentous occasion.