DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — A South Florida nurse is making a major sacrifice by temporarily leaving her family to help out in one of the hardest hit areas of the coronavirus pandemic.
"We’re trained to handle any task given to us," said Air Force Reserve Capt. Sarilia Therildor.
Therildor is now on a new mission, deployed to help relieve the overburdened doctors and nurses in New York City, hit hard by a staggering number of COVID-19 cases.
"Patients here are much sicker than the ones I’ve seen in Florida. I’m seeing 30 to 40 year-old healthy patients dying," said Therildor.
Therildor is an emergency room nurse at Delray Medical Center.
Last week, with less than 24 hours notice, she boarded a plane at MacDill Airforce Base in Tampa with other doctors and nurses assigned to the 927th Air Refueling Wing.
They were sent to help combat the coronavirus crisis.
"The volume is just tremendous. We’re getting patients coming from their homes,as well as the nursing homes, and they’re just very sick," said Therildor.
Therildor left her family behind and is stationed at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx. She’s working long hours with limited supplies to stabilize patients and save lives.
"They want to help and they feel like where they’re being placed is placing them to help the most Americans possible," said Lt. Lisa Ray.
Therildor joined the Air Force seven years ago to serve her country. Now she’s one of the many on the front lines helping patients during this unprecedented time.
"Seeing the patients here, no one is able to visit them. They’re by themself as sometimes you’re the last person they see," Therildor said.
A dozen other airmen were sent on Wednesday to New York, and since the pandemic started, about 500 men and women have been deployed.
Therildor will be in New York City until she is no longer needed.