Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden Friday attacked the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Eight months into the crisis, Biden said the president "still doesn't have a plan, " adding "he's quit on you." (Oct. 23) AP Domestic
In 2003, Peter Young and Daniel Freeman were classmates inwhat was thenthe new Alternative School for Math &Science in Corning.
The two men, now both 30, grew up only a few miles apart, one in Corning, the other in Big Flats. Eventually, theyboth became doctors.
And in the spring of 2020,their paths weretogether again in a shared mission, hundreds of miles apart.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck an unsuspecting populace earlier this year, both men found themselveson the front lines of a harrowing life-and-death battle.
Young was a senior resident at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City when the deadly and mysterious virus unleashed its devastation.
Dr. Peter Young(Photo: Provided)
More than 800 miles to the south, Freeman was performing similar duties at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.
Related: Corning Inc.paint additive can fight COVID-19 virus
Despite years of college, medical school and internships, neither man was quite prepared for the frightening and surreal scenes they were about to experience.
"I got called in on a Sunday to take over for a colleague who was sick with COVID-19," said Young, 30. "It felt apocalyptic. People looked like they were out of a Mad Max movie, wearing gear they brought from home. We realized (the virus) spread through our community like wildfire."
As part of his residency in Atlanta, Freeman spent timein various departments to give him a well-rounded hospital experience.
Dr. Daniel Freeman(Photo: Provided)
In February, he was doing labor and delivery of babies. A month later, he was in the children's emergency department, and when the COVID-19 pandemic took grip in mid- to late March, he was in the adult ER.
What Freeman remembers most about those early days is the virus was new and nobody really knew what to expect although they quickly found out.
"When it started, we knew very little," Freeman said. "You get used to identifying patterns. That's how you diagnose people. With COVID, we had no idea what it was going to look like or how to diagnose it. There was a great deal of uncertainty at the beginning.
"We realized early that COVID-19 can lead to blood clots and heart attacks. We were seeing a lot of them," he said. "I never felt overwhelmed. I do remember having a sense of dread that something really bad was going to happen."
For Young, the experience at times was overwhelming, in part due to the relentless flow of infected patients, and the fact that initially, so many of them died.
"The first patient who died was 37. He died quickly and horribly," Young said. "That was the moment it got really scary for me on a personal level.
"We were making life and death decisions. For me, the trauma of that will last for a while," he said. "I remember making decisions where people died. Living with that is going to be challenging. None of us were prepared for this. People were dying so fast we were looking for places to put bodies so we could bring more (patients) in."
Freeman and Young were always science-minded, and that, coupled with a desire to help other people, led them both into medicine.
Freeman, who graduated from Notre Dame High School in 2009, earned a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie in 2013, and his medical degree in 2019 from the University of Central Florida College of Medicine.
He then followed his wife to Atlanta, where she had a job lined up.
Corning native Dr. Peter Young shows off the personal protective gear he wore while dealing with COVID-19 patients in a New York City hospital.(Photo: Provided)
Young, graduated from Corning-Painted Post East High School in 2009, and also studied chemistry, along with creative writing, at Williams Collegein Williamstown, Massachusetts, graduating in 2013.
Related: Corning Gorilla Glass scientists create face shields for local hospitals
Young earned his doctorate from Columbia University's medical school in 2017. In June of this year, he completed his internal medicine residency training at Columbia.
Young and his wife have since relocated to Los Angeles, but his time in New York City earlier this year gave him an opportunity to experience both the pandemic and the blossoming social justice movement.
The early tidal waveof COVID-19 cases eventually eased, and both doctors have gotten on with their lives and careers.
Freeman is still practicing in Atlanta, and he and his wife areexpecting their first child in December.
Freeman said the experience will have a lasting effect on his outlook, both professionally and personally.
Related: Take a seat on your couch, the doctor will log in shortly: Health in the COVID age
"It has made me more comfortable handling critically ill patients. It's learning how to keep everyone calm and trying to organize everyone and work as a team," he said. "In terms of my own life, I still come home and undress outside the house, and put my clothes in the washer. I have a lot of anxiety about bringing that stuff home.
"My wife has been fantastic through this whole thing," Freeman said. "We're still dealing with something we don't really understand."
Young and his wife live in West Los Angeles, and Young recentlystarted a new fellowship at UCLA Medical Center.
It's a much different environment from the one Young experienced while working inemergency rooms during the early COVID-19 onslaught, but that experience had a profound impact on his calling as well.
"I learned the importance of being really up front with people about loved ones. They needed to hear that their loved one was dying," Young said. "End of life care is something I'm interested in. (The pandemic) definitely helped me realize how precious life and health is.
"It was a privilege to be there for my patients and the community," he said. "I wouldn't trade that for anything."
Follow Jeff Murray on Twitter @SGJeffMurray. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Related: Coronavirus: Guthrie asks and receives, Dresser-Rand producing 3,000 face shields
Read or Share this story: https://www.stargazette.com/story/news/local/2020/11/30/2-doctors-corning-experience-covid-19-battle-frontlines/6220696002/
Read the original:
2 Corning-area natives experience COVID-19 pandemic battle on the frontlines - Star-Gazette
- "Shift Happens" - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Getting Started With Your Personal Statement - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- I started this blog 1 year ago. I'm ready to become a medical doctor. - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Poll Results: "What is your GPA?" - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Why Ross University School of Medicine? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Why Ross University? (Continued) - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Filling out applications with the last 4 years in mind. - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- "Active and Passive Euthanasia" - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- 300 Word Personal Statement - First Draft - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- 300 Word Personal Statement - 2nd Draft - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- "Where did you do EMT training at?" - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- "is this jonathan that went to brazil in the summer of 2006?" - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- First Application is Away - Ross University - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- AMCAS—The American Medical College Application Service - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The Student Doctor Network - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Crime Incident - Public Safety Announcement: STUDENTS - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- AMCAS Deadlines & Delays - Answered - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Headstart on Secondary Applications - The Student Doctor Network - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The Complete Medical School & Admissions Guide - Revisited - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Interview Status - Ross University - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Finished my first interview. - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- "You have a 95% chance of acceptance..." - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- "I was just wondering if I have to go to medical school i will have to start college allover again." - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Interview Feedback - Allopathic Medical Schools - Ross University School of Medicine (Dominica Caribbean) - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- ACCEPTED! - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Step 1 Revisited - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- A Few More Thoughts On Moving - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Update - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Closing In - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Internet/Computer Hell - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Back On The Net - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- 1 More Day - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Loan Deferment Blog - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Graduated! - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- What Happened? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Interesting Case - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- What Made Me Stupid? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Blah. - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Call - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Medicine in the Media - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Was Medical School Worth It? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Off I Go... - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Is It Worth It, Part 2 - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Oriented - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- GLBT in Medical School - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- GLBT in Residency Applications - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- I Survived - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Reflections on the First Week - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- All Good Things Must End - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The Lone Coyote is Back - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Pre-med student switches gears to teach in Chicago school - Chicago Tribune - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Old-school barbecue coming to spot near Fort Worth medical district - Fort Worth Star Telegram - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Nursing home drug use puts many at risk - Boston Globe - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Dr. Anita Figueredo, first female surgeon in San Diego, dies at 93 - Los Angeles Times - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Stimulus funds pay for monkey research in NC - MiamiHerald.com - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Medicine as an economic engine - Buffalo News - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- UM medical school feels the squeeze - MiamiHerald.com - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL ADVISER Bell's palsy not as serious as it appears - Detroit Free Press - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Baylor medical school works to get back on track - Houston Chronicle - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- From community college to Amherst College and Yale Medical School - WalletPop (blog) - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Man questions merit of coke monkey study - UPI.com - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- School Board has questions it wants answered about onsite medical clinic - Terre Haute Tribune Star - March 9th, 2010 [March 9th, 2010]
- Stimulus Funds Pay for Monkey Research - NewsMax.com - March 9th, 2010 [March 9th, 2010]
- Babylon schools head: Teen's collapse unrelated to athletics - Newsday (subscription) - March 9th, 2010 [March 9th, 2010]
- Cost Of Medical School Rises In Recession - NPR - March 9th, 2010 [March 9th, 2010]
- Flu Shots in Children Help People of All Ages - New York Times - March 9th, 2010 [March 9th, 2010]
- A prescription for improving science education - Scope (blog) - March 9th, 2010 [March 9th, 2010]
- Live kidney donors do not die sooner: study - Reuters - March 9th, 2010 [March 9th, 2010]
- UW football player suspended after alleged assault - Seattle Post Intelligencer - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- More Comparative Studies Needed to Guide Physicians Study finds less than a ... - ModernMedicine - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- Conservationists worry about Mo. med school plan - KOAM-TV - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- Dr. William D. Lynn - Baltimore Sun - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- Suspect in North Dallas shootings became reclusive after parents died, family says - Dallas Morning News - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- Drinkers Gain Less Weight - Harvard Crimson - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- Long-Term Health Risks Low for Kidney Donors - WebMD - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- School resource officer remains in critical condition - Middletown Journal - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- New Lucian Leape Institute Report Finds That U.S. Medical Schools Are Falling ... - PR Newswire (press release) - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- Dual degrees program expands for Mayo Medical School students - Post-Bulletin - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- Comparative Effectiveness Research is a Must - TopNews United States - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]
- Long Beach OKs medical pot ordinance - Contra Costa Times - March 10th, 2010 [March 10th, 2010]