COM Outlook Summer/Fall 2020

6 | DR. KIRAN C. PATEL COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE Andrade recounted in chill- ing detail the symptoms of a 50- something, Mexican male, who was sweating profusely and struggling desperately to breathe as the virus invaded deeper into his respiratory system. The patient clearly met the criteria to be intubated, but Andrade paused before making the inevitable decision. “We hadn’t yet successfully extubated a single patient, so intubation almost certainly meant a death sentence for this man,” Andrade said. “I explained in Spanish that he needed to be intubated or his cardiovascular system would collapse and he wouldn’t make it. He had no other option.” The patient, who seemed to sense his dismal outcome, asked Andrade, “Am I going to die?” Andrade told him that being intubated was the only way he would have even the slightest chance to grow stronger and recover. To lighten the mood, Andrade added, “In one week’s time, you’ll be off the ventilator, and you can show me where to get the best Mexican food in Brooklyn.” A shared smile sealed the agreement. “He told me that in a room full of crowded strangers, I was an angel sent by God to help him,” Andrade recalled. “With tears welling in my eyes, I responded, ‘I’m no angel, but I can help you through this process.’ I told him we’d take good care of him, but that he should contact his family to say goodbye just in case something should happen.” “They all said their emotional goodbyes. This was the heaviest moment in my life. This exchange with a stranger changed me. This was minute one, day one of my volunteering in the COVID-19 units. I went home and cried.” —Peter Andrade BIG APPLE ANGUISH Andrade prepares to place a central intravenous line in a COVID-19 patient.