By Tracey-Ann Knight

Being a nurse takes a person with extraordinary skills, mindset, hope, and faith. I have had my share of opportunities and losses, which have added richly to my own invaluable experiences as a nurse. I became a nurse manager because of my passion to drive change. Leaders are often defined not so much by training and preparation; rather, it is the manner in which they respond when placed in certain circumstances or challenged by particular issues.

Upon transitioning into the role of nurse manager in 2014, I could not have anticipated being confronted by the COVID-19 crisis. However, as the pandemic developed across America and the rest of the world, I thought it was something for others to deal with, thinking it would never interrupt my everyday life. But it did.

When the reality struck, I called upon God for strength, insight and, most of all, the ability to lead by his wisdom. My team, consisting of assistant nurse managers, frontline nurses, nursing attendants, and unit clerks became energized while, at the same time, being extremely fearful and threatened. In the advent of opening a newly constructed, forty-bed COVID-19 respiratory unit, while simultaneously managing another thirty-two-bed medical surgical unit, my team and I responded with energy and enthusiasm to take on the challenge. I experienced the selflessness of individuals as they comforted and cared for desperate patients who have lost every hope.

I have witnessed multiple COVID-19 patient deaths on a daily basis as the nursing and medical team tried desperately to save these patients’ lives. I have also witnessed breakthrough successes, as other coronavirus patients were healed and sent home. One defining moment that my staff and I experienced was when an Asian, middle-aged man was being discharged from our unit.

This man was one of many patients who was cured of the disease. We communicated with him through interpretation services as he only spoke and understood Cantonese. As he was about to be taken from the unit by the transporter, the staff lined up by the nurses’ station to clap and bring him one final cheer. To our astonishment, the Cantonese speaking man, while in his wheelchair, raised his hands in the air and shouted, “Thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus.” For some, there was a chill and a sense of disbelief as they could not comprehend that this non-English-speaking man was now thanking Jesus in English.

It has been a great privilege caring for individuals who have experienced distress and/or loss. I have not taken this for granted as a nurse. As with our Asian patient, I am not surprised by God’s work in people’s lives because he is awesome and mighty! During COVID-19 moments, I can testify to God’s power and grace. It’s a privilege from my vantage to encourage people to trust God, obey him, and watch him work.

Brooklyn hospital nurse Tracey-Ann Knight is a member of the Church of God in East New York, pastored by Rev. Clifton McDowell.

Learn more about the response of Church of God Ministries to the coronavirus (COVID-19), including resources for you and your church, at www.jesusisthesubject.org/theway.