The healthcare professionals—we have finally understood their immense importance in society. If it was not the medical heroes, we don’t know how we would have survived this COVID-19 pandemic. They are working round the clock, and their selfless service is an example for generations to come. The year 2020 will be recorded in the history of a time when the modern world with great technological advances was fighting tooth and nail for the survival of humankind. Many doctors even lost their lives to the virus. Their work is even more challenging than we can imagine. A Jewish doctor, Dr Taylor Nichols, recently shared an incident when he faced hate in the emergency room. He treated a COVID-19 patient who boasted Nazi tattoos all over his body. The viral Twitter thread of the Californian doctor shows how, once again, the frontline heroes proved that they put humanity in healthcare above anything.

Nichols and his team, which included a Black nurse, and an Asian respiratory therapist were gearing up to treat a COVID-19 patient. He challenged the way Nichols does his job. The patient’s skin was covered with Nazi tattoos, including a large swastika on his chest. Critically ill by the time he arrived by ambulance, the patient pleads Nichols not to let him die. He wondered if the man with Nazi tattoos would have cared about his life, in case the roles were reversed and he hesitated. Mia Villa, 3-Year-Old Girl Bakes and Delivers Cookies to Thank COVID-19 Frontline Warriors. 

But that did not stop him. Treating a COVID patient, he already puts his life at high-risk during the COVID-19 pandemic because it may expose health workers to infectious droplets. He could be a little intimidated for a moment, but he is a doctor first, and he knows the importance of his work. “Yet here we were, working seamlessly as a team to make sure we gave him the best chance to survive that we could. All while wearing masks, gowns, face shields, gloves. The moment perfectly captured what we are going though as healthcare workers as this pandemic accelerates,” one of his tweets read. Doctor's Warm Welcome With Claps and Flowers on Returning Home. 

Check Dr Taylor Nichols' Viral Twitter Thread:

He came in by ambulance short of breath. Already on CPAP by EMS. Still, he was clearly working hard to breathe. He looked sick. Uncomfortable. Scared.

As we got him over to the gurney and his shirt off to switch a a hospital gown, we all noticed the number of Nazi tattoos. 1/

— Taylor Nichols, MD (@tnicholsmd) November 30, 2020

Nichols continued talking about the conflicting emotions he felt, after months of battling the disease and seeing patients die, while living in isolation to avoid contaminating the loved ones, constantly in fear of falling ill. You can read the entire Twitter thread, by clicking HERE.

When interviewed by CNN, he confronted that he reserved judgement and focused on treating the patient to the best of his ability, but he was struck with the impact the latest incident had on him. “I was struck by the impact that this had on me, that I never really faced that kind of hesitation before in my career,” he was quoted saying in the report. “I was left only with the impact that that symbol had on me. It's a symbol of hate. It challenged me a bit,” he added. Shein Gets Slammed Online Over Selling Metal Swastika Pendant Necklace. 

Nichols works in California at Mercy San Juan Medical Center. Though his interaction with the patient shook him, he was committed to providing him with the best service. He even highlighted how he worries about the mental health of his fellow frontline workers who may not have confronted their pandemic-induced stress. His well of compassion has not gone dry. This is one instance out of many that doctors are facing each day in the emergency room. We need to be respectful to the profession and thank them for everything they are doing to keep all of us safe. Thank you, healthcare professionals!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 05, 2020 02:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).