Travel ICU nurses reunite with grandchildren after vaccination

Travel ICU nurses, who fought COVID-19 on the frontlines, reunite with their grandchildren after getting vaccinated.

Transcript

00:00

KIM (VOICEOVER): We've seen what COVID can do. We've held hands and we've cried with patients that died by themselves.

00:07

To see the hell on Earth, then to get our own vaccine, and then know that we're helping others

00:14

to not have to go through what we went through. JOHN (VOICEOVER): It was just really nice to sit there and see everybody

00:21

wanting to get vaccinated, to get back to normal. [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:27

We were on vacation, actually, the week that it hit Albany. And when we came back, we just walked into a war zone.

00:35

JOHN (VOICEOVER): Yeah, it was a matter of whose patient was gonna die today, you know. I mean, there was deaths daily.

00:42

KIM (VOICEOVER): I was so scared. Never seen anything like this in my 13 years. And he's been an RN for 20 years.

00:49

And we've never seen anything like this. Not to mention, we're scared for each other. I mean, as a nurse, you sign up to take care of your patients.

00:57

So there's always that chance. But this was a totally different animal. I mean, are we gonna make it out of this?

01:04

So today, we're making history. After a year of fighting this COVID,

01:12

we are giving vaccinations. To see everyone lining up and getting the vaccine

01:18

was amazing. JOHN (VOICEOVER): It was really great to watch everybody steadily come in.

01:26

It's pretty awesome to see all the people excited to get the vaccine also. Maybe we can beat this monster that we've been dealing with.

01:34

I'm not really one that likes needles. I would rather give the shot than take the shot. But for this one, I was glad to take the shot.

01:42

I just want to be able to hug my family. Good morning, bright and early. We are on our way to Ohio.

01:50

We're surprising my daughter. And we're also very excited because since we've gotten vaccinated, we can actually see our grandchildren

01:59

without masks. And we have a two-month-old that John has not seen. It's always exciting to be a grandparent.

02:06

But when you're in the middle of a pandemic, it's a little bit different. JOHN (VOICEOVER): Getting the vaccine allowed us to be grandparents again.

02:14

Hello. Papaw is here. KIM (VOICEOVER): John was able to hold the baby for the first time. And we could love on her, and kiss her, and hold her,

02:22

and hug her. JOHN (VOICEOVER): It was just amazing. KIM (VOICEOVER): She is stunning. She is beautiful.

02:29

And it's just overwhelming to see a new baby, anyway. But she's beautiful.

02:36

She's perfect. The hope is that we can get back to normal, that everyone will get it, or at least the majority will get it,