Coronavirus

HOMETOWN HERO: Sisters thank nurse who took care of dying mother during COVID-19 fight

ByRebeccah Hendrickson WPVI logo

Thursday, May 21, 2020

HOMETOWN HERO: Sisters thank nurse who took care of dying mother during COVID-19 fight

For two months, the third window from the right at Berks Heim Nursing Home was 73-year-old Linda Wolf's only view of the outside world, and it was Melissa Wolf and Wendy Reber's only window to their mother.

LEESPORT, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- For two months, the third window from the right at Berks Heim Nursing Home was 73-year-old Linda Wolf's only view of the outside world, and it was Melissa Wolf and Wendy Reber's only window to their mother.

"We wanted that touch, we wanted to be close to her and feared that some day she may get it. And she did," said Reber.

Linda contracted COVID-19 in early May. Her daughters couldn't physically take care of her because of nursing home restrictions, but someone special was already inside.

"Like god sent an angel," said Wolf. "Our hearts just were so torn not being able to be there with her, but we knew that Melissa's touch and her talking to my mom that she was OK."

An emergency room nurse in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania is using her free time to serve meals to those in her community.

"Melissa" is nurse Melissa Jacobs, who works at the nursing home. Like everyone in health care, she's fighting the worst of the pandemic every day and still showing up to work anyway.

"It's a lot of sadness, a lot of devastation for the residents and their families and we try to do what we can to make that a little bit better," said Jacobs.

The sisters say nurse Melissa answered every question they had about their mother and would always be holding her hand when they visited from the window.

"Melissa would put her hand on her chest and just pat her, and it was exactly the way we would have tried to comfort my mom," said Reber.

On Tuesday, May 12, Linda passed away. The sisters stood outside their mom's window for hours as she took her last breaths. They couldn't hold her hand, but her angel was there the whole time too.

"She had as many tears coming down her face as we had," said Reber about nurse Melissa.

An outreach worker and a nurse practitioner in Philadelphia are risking their own health to help the homeless.

The sisters came back to the nursing home to thank the angel who gave them a window to their mom with a bracelet that said, "Lord, guide my hands and heart as I look after my patients today."

"You go in the break room, you shed a couple of tears and then you have to come back out because they need someone to take care of them," said Jacobs.

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