Santa Barbara nurses grieve COVID-19 victims during paddle out
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — A group of local nurses organized a paddle out to grieve the many lives lost to COVID-19 Saturday afternoon in the Santa Barbara Harbor.
Nichol Clark is a nurse at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
“We were able to look at each other and see that we all share memories of a certain special person,” she said. “We also share the hardships of these times."
Clark has been battling this deadly virus for over a year while caring for those ailing in isolation.
“We become their surrogate families because there's no visitors allowed in the hospital,” she said. “We're all they have."
The paddle out had plenty of participants letting go of grief.
Donna Davirro is one of the leaders for Paddle Santa Barbara and helped organize the event.
“We feel awful for the families that couldn't be with their loved ones when they died,” she said. “We also appreciate and love the nurses that have shown their compassion."
Not only was the event intended to support nurses pushing through the emotional toll of the pandemic, but it also honored families who have lost loved ones.
“We wanted to let some of the families of our patients know that they weren't alone in the hospital,” Clark said. “There were nurses that truly loved them."
The Paddle Sports Center lent out standup boards and kayaks for those in attendance.
“It's our way of showing gratitude,” co-owner Luisa Hyatt said. “Giving them an outlet to get some healing themselves."
Local nonprofit Healing Opportunities also facilitated free ear acupuncture treatments.
“When we heard about this paddle, we thought it was a perfect mission to support these women,” Healing Opportunities president Rachil Vincent said.
Out in the open, under the sun and in the water; the group celebrated those who are much more than just another number.
“Each one of those lives was a person,” Clark concluded. “Each one of those lives mattered to us nurses."
Thus far, there have been 4011 COVID-related deaths in Santa Barbara County.
