CINCINNATI — A local nurse is facing the harsh realities of COVID-19 at work and at home. Ebony Holloway is mourning the death of one family member while celebrating a milestone for another.
“Bittersweet, like a roller coaster, up down is what it is,” Holloway said.
A registered nurse, Holloway is used to taking the good with the bad -- even in the midst of a pandemic.
“It’s been pretty scary because you see the people that come in," Holloway said. "They’re pretty sick and some of them don’t make it home, so it’s pretty sad.”
She focuses on staying positive with friends and family she can't see in person via social media.
“I post pictures of me in the hospital wearing my mask like, ‘Did you wash your hands today?,’” Holloway said.
She said she tries to make sure special occasions don't go unnoticed -- that's why she called Cincinnati Police District 5 to have a parade for her 79-year-old grandmother's birthday.
Only hours after making that call -- she learned her grandfather on the other side died from COVID-19.
“It’s been really rough and it was just rough praying for him because he was recovering at first and then he took a turn for the worse,” Holloway said.
84-year-old Delmer McKinney died after spending three days in the same hospital where Holloway works.
Hours later, her family pulled together to pull off the birthday parade.
“When I saw those police cars, I didn’t know what was going on… and then I was just overwhelmed,” Holloway's grandmother Sarah Rhodus said.
It was a kind gesture from the community that lifted spirits in a time of loss.
“It definitely was like divine intervention,” Holloway said.
