You gave hope in the face of fear Salem Sellars is used to caring for seriously ill patients. When she had COVID-19, she found healing and compassion at Regional One Health Regional One Health has a second-to-none COVID-19 unit thanks to you. As a trauma intensive care nurse at Regional One Health, Salem Sellars knows how to care for seriously ill patients with skill, empathy, and confidence. When COVID-19 put her on the other side of that relationship, her place of work became her place of comfort and healing. Sellars’ COVID-19 experience began in June, and it hit fast. “I got sick so quickly,” she said. “I woke up one day and could not get out of bed.” By the time she tested positive a few days later, she was so short of breath she could barely walk. Within days, Sellars knew she needed help: “My son was with me, and I told him I was going to go to the hospital. He said, ‘Which one?’ and I said, ‘Take me to work.’” It’s a decision she is grateful for. After notifying the doctors and nurses of her positive test so they could protect themselves, she quickly learned she was being admitted. “I apparently looked very bad,” she said. “They took me to the emergency room and triaged me, put me on oxygen, and brought me to a room.” Her blood oxygen level was an alarming 78, far below the normal range of 95-100. Sellars recalls how her 22 years of nursing experience made the situation even more frightening: “It’s scary because you know too much. When I looked at that monitor, I was terrified I was going to be intubated.” regionalonehealth.org/foundation/change-a-life-donate-today/ 7
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