05/04/2020
As part of , NC Hillel is honoring all of our today, like Sara Planer, UNC-Chapel Hill, class of 2017, who now works as a nurse on the front lines. Read more about Sara's incredible work below, and please consider making a gift at bit.ly/NCHillelGlobalGiving, to be matched dollar-for-dollar! ⤵️Thank you Sara and all of our !
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1. What is your role today in battling COVID-19?
I'm helping to battle COVID-19 as a bedside nurse at UNC's Cardiac Intensive Care Unit! I'm trying to ensure my patients with COVID-19 and their families feel c***ected and safely cared for during such a stressful and distanced time. Not allowing our patients to have visitors has been really tough. We've also been orienting several stepdown and floor nurses each day to the ICU as part of a preparedness plan in case of a large surge of COVID-19 patients, so lots of teaching! And being flexible with daily staffing and hospital wide changes. When I'm not at work, I do my part to practice social distancing, wear my mask when I'm out, and stay at home whenever possible!
2 How do your Jewish values influence your life today?
Almost all of my Judaism is centered around my community, so I've been worried about how my Jewish identity would change with social distancing. It was rocky at first, particularly celebrating Pesach away from family, but overall it's been an opportunity for me to develop my Jewish identity on a more intrapersonal level. I've reflected on what's important to me, what I want to go out of my way to observe on my own, and why. And aside from actually being able to develop a stronger sense of what my own Judaism looks like, I've made sure to keep my community close with scheduled Shabbat Zooms with friends, Shabbat phone calls with families, and celebrating holidays however I can! I made matzah ball soup this year from scratch for the first time and it turned out AMAZING!
-Sara Planer, UNC-Chapel Hill '17
City: Carrboro, NC