Showing Up for the People Who Are Showing Up – Pizza Delivered to Grateful ICU Health Care Workers in Brooklyn

When the generosity and kindness of the human spirit shows up to support fellow human beings on the front lines of our current coronavirus crisis, when real people shine through all the faceless statistics, it’s inspiring and motivating.

My friend Kathryn’s cousin Gerard is the physician in charge of the surgical critical care unit at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn. They grew up together  – “throwing chairs on the floor of their grandparents’ basement, playing spaceship.” Now they text frequently, sharing stories of 12-hour shifts with the critically ill for Gerard and his staff, Kathryn’s year-long treatments for a rare form of breast cancer.

[See Think Globally-Act Locally for a glimpse into Kathryn’s courage and determination.]

When Kathryn (in San Francisco) learned of the challenges Gerard’s staff were facing in finding time and food to eat during their intense, no-time-to-stop 12-hour shifts, she asked him for the name of a restaurant close to the hospital that could deliver a meal to his staff. LaStrada Pizzeria, just blocks away, still delivering.

The next day, provided with Gerard’s name and phone number so a staff member could meet the pizzas at the door of the hospital, Sal of LaStrada Pizzeria delivered 5 pizzas, 10 sandwiches, enough salad and drinks to feed 20 people, health care workers who had come from all over the country to help out in an over-stressed New York hospital.  Texts and videos back and forth between Gerard and Kathryn; such gratitude, love, appreciation all around. viewing them inspired me to write this post.

We can do this.  We all do this in our own way. Showing up for the people who are showing up.

You don’t need to do everything. Do what calls your heart; effective action comes from love. It is unstoppable, and it is enough.

– Joanna Macy