Hometown Hero

Daniel Camillery

Doctor at Nassau Pediatrics Associates, Franklin Square

Posted

N95 Mask, gown, goggles, headgear, gloves — the "new normal" dress code at Nassau Pediatrics Associates.  Daily positive Covid tests to call families are just another reminder to me of the family members and friends lost this year directly and indirectly to this greatest of all bullies we call Covid-19.  It has not been easy but we persevere.

Personally, it has been a struggle with the passing of close family members and not being able to grieve and honor them in our traditional way, and as a father, it has been a struggle with two adolescent children learning in a new way and constantly reminding them you can not be a typical teenager for the sake of the greater good.

At our pediatric office I used to ask which room is the next patient in? Now instead of a room it may be a tent or a car in the parking lot.  We examine a child in a tent or a tailgate.  We have given vaccines in the backseat of a car for fear of entering the building in the early stages of the pandemic.  But we treat,  we reassure, and we refer patients to the hospital when it is necessary.

No, it has not been easy since Covid began, however I do see families spending more time together,  less commuting for some, job flexibility and new ways to learn. Many people have slowed down and are taking time to smell the roses.  Several people have received the COVID 19 vaccine, which brings hope for the future.  Perhaps the adversity has improved us all in some ways.  It has not been easy, but we persevere.