Hoping to boost the spirits of his colleagues during the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Hadi Halazun, a father and cardiologist specializing in non-invasive cardiology and echocardiography in New York City, penned a memo to his team expressing his thoughts about the extraordinary circumstances healthcare workers are facing at this unprecedented time: “Make no mistake. This is a war … You are serving humanity,” he wrote.
Although the original Tweet has since been taken down, PEOPLE obtained a screenshot of the attached letter. For those on the front lines of this crisis, Dr. Halazun‘s passionate words have been a rallying cry and source of encouragement for not only his own coworkers, but first responders and medics across the country. Read the full letter below:
Dear All,
I don’t usually write this division list, but I feel it important that I share a few brief thoughts from what can only be termed as the front lines.
First, make no mistake. This is a war. There are no rules; they are made up as we go. They change daily. People will die. You may get hurt. But loved ones at home are cheering for you. The world is relying on you. The camaraderie and support is incredible. Your brothers and sisters on the front line have your back in unimaginable ways. You are serving humanity.
Forget that you are a cardiologist. You are ‘just’ a doctor now. You are a COVID doctor. Your expertise will come in handy every once in a while, but you will have to learn things that you never thought you would need to, and trust me, you will learn it fast. You’ll think you’re doing a sh**** job at first, but everyone appreciates you stepping up to the plate. Algorithms change daily, and you’ll feel dumb and inadequate, but then your favorite ICU doc will come and tell you ‘I don’t know what the f*** I’m doing either, I’m making it up as I go’. It is then that you realize we are all in this together.
Put your ego aside. Do fellow work. Do resident work. Do intern work. You are not a vent or ARDS guru. Accept it, get over it, learn, and move on. Contribute any way you can. Recognize that the TRUE frontline providers are the nurses and respiratory therapists who are the greatest risk of getting hurt. Support them every way you can.
Be Proud. We are truly beyond privileged to be asked to serve our society in ways others can’t. Sitting on the sidelines of this pandemic must be frustrating to those who cannot help. We are truly in a unique position in time and place to be the ‘heroes’ that our children one day will look up to. Don’t shy away from it. Don’t fear it. Jump in.
There is a saying I live by, which is, if you are standing close to the water on the beach, you’ll be hit by a wave. You can let the wave knock you down, or you can surf it. Either way you’ll get wet. I say to you all, put on that surgical mask and let’s surf the f*** out of this wave; we’re getting wet anyway.
But stay safe.
Hadi
The austere, yet inspiring message swiftly passed among staff and was shared to Twitter, where it went viral over the weekend.
“We are truly beyond privileged to be asked to serve our society in ways others can’t,” he wrote. “Sitting on the sidelines of this pandemic must be frustrating to those who cannot help. We are truly in a unique position in time and place to be the ‘heroes’ that our children one day will look up to. Don’t shy away from it. Don’t fear it. Jump in.”
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