Some things you just don’t forget. 

Talking to parents – specifically to parents working on the frontlines of medicine during the early days of the pandemic – definitely makes that list. 

When the world shut down, these parents wrote to tell us how grateful they were their children could stay nestled with our teachers in their child care center worlds – and they painted vivid pictures of what it was like to work day-in and day-out in their own. 

“Our job descriptions and duties are constantly changing.”

“We instrument people’s airways and we don’t know if we are exposing ourselves to this virus.”

“We have no approved therapies.”

“We just haven’t had the time to really have randomized controlled trials on what works and what doesn’t.”

“We leave our shoes at the door. We take showers before we go in. We tell ourselves, ‘Don’t hug the kids.’”

“The amount of fear and anxiety at work is an all-time high.”

“We have to do what we have to do.”

While we at home disinfected groceries, washed hands to happy birthday, and tried not to touch our faces, these people put aside their fears and cared for patients face-to-face. And no matter what kind of day they had – no matter how many patients they saw or how exhausted they were – there was never a doubt that they were going to get up the next day and do it all over again.

“It’s hard. But it’s what we do. It’s what we’re trained for. It’s kind of like our calling. When the crisis happens, it’s kind of our purpose.”

“It’s what you learned about in school but never thought you would experience.”

Reading those stories was a vivid reminder of what these professionals did – and continue to do.

That’s something none of us can forget.

We often say at Bright Horizons that our work is not just about the services we provide, but who we get to provide those services for.

That’s never been more true than it is here.

On National Doctor’s Day, from all of us to medical professionals everywhere, our heartfelt and grateful…thanks.