Accidental Heroes

Serena Ward
November 16, 2020 | 3 min read

There are heroes among us. These are not your typical heroes, but rather people who are doing heroic things they never imagined doing. They are people who, like the rest of us, did not sign up for this and putting their lives on the line was never in the job description.

Here are a few examples of the many heroes in my family’s world.

The school bus drivers. They are out every day, not only transporting kids, but also delivering school work, food and school supplies to porches and front doors. When schools suddenly swing back to remote learning due to positive COVID cases, they are on the roads delivering computers and other devices to students to ensure that their education is as consistent as possible right now. Thank you.

The curbside deliverers. So many businesses have found ways to continue providing us with what we need (and want). Groceries, household essentials, materials for projects big and small, take-out food and even flu shots have all been made available for curbside delivery. Librarians are also offering curbside book delivery to continue getting books and other resources into the hands of our community. Thank you.

The school food workers. While these employees are used to feeding our kids, this is now more challenging than ever. Picking up school lunch has become a very special part of our day where we are always greeted with smiles and kind words, my kids are known by name and their favorite cereal. Thank you.

The dental hygienist. This one takes a bit more explanation. My kids are notorious for having a hard time at the dentist’s office. We’ve worked hard over the years to overcome this and find the right providers. We had the most amazing hygienist who my kids loved and she suddenly left the dental practice. We decided to continue going there out of convenience and had an appointment scheduled over the summer. After being very clear that my daughter had a consistent cough due to allergies, they agreed to see her. While sitting in the waiting area she, of course, could not stop coughing. Long story short, we were unceremoniously kicked out of the office and while promised a call-back to reschedule, that never happened. Time to find a new provider.

We decided that we would give up convenience for a pediatric dentist and committed to the hour trip each way. Recently, I took two of my kids for a routine cleaning not expecting anything out of the ordinary other than a long drive. For anyone who knows my family, you know that we’ve learned to expect the unexpected. This trip did not disappoint.

My youngest happened to have a very stubborn baby tooth that didn’t want to come out on its own. We weren’t even scheduled to see the dentist, but she stopped in to take a look and decided that they could give it a quick yank with topical numbing only. My daughter was very brave and all seemed well with the quick removal. She got up to get a drink of water and suddenly crumpled to the floor. The hygienist, without even a second of hesitation, scooped her up and got her back in the chair. He then proceeded to hold her hair back and comfort her while she vomited. I’m certain none of this was within “proper” COVID protocol and it was clear that my daughter was going to be cared for in the way that was needed.

So yes, the dental hygienist. He’s one of our heroes. Thank you.

These are just a few of the heroes in our world. There are so many people who are going above and beyond to care for all of us. What I want all of the accidental heroes out there to know is that I see you. I appreciate what you are doing. Thank you.