WATERBURY, Conn — FOX61 is recognizing an assistant nursing manager from Saint Mary’s hospital who has not only stepped up to the plate to help care for Covid patients but has not found herself on the other side of this pandemic.
"I became a nurse because of my grandmother who was very sick growing up," Leanna Steinfeld said.
Born out of a passion to help others, Steinfeld began her career after nursing school in dialysis before getting a job in critical care at Saint Mary's hospital as a bedside nurse.
"Up until last September, then I took on this new role as the assistant nurse manager or senior clinical senior advisor I should say," Steinfeld said.
But due to the coronavirus pandemic Steinfeld has returned to the bedside recently working on the front lines helping take care of patients, a task she will now have to take break from while she herself recovers at home.
"I became a nurse for a reason and did want to help others and do what I can. Its a little scary being on the other end, I really just thought Ihad a pretty bad sinus infection."
Steinfeld began feeling some symptoms and went ahead and got tested last Friday for Covid and the results came back positive
"I didn't think that I could get it, I’m not sure why. I feel like I’ve been very diligent with my hand washing and almost a little paranoid,"
While she never had a fever, she is experiencing syptoms like body aches and shortness of breath.
“I'm just resting and hydrating as much as I can because believe or not I would love nothing more than to go back to work,"
And its that resilience that Steinfeld’s colleagues say she brings to the team each day.
In a note prior to her diagnosis her manager describes her as compassionate and always eager to learn new things. She is "resilient and willing to travel into unchartered waters with the assistance of her team. Leanna has a let’s get it done attitude and does it with a smile!”
Steinfeld says while nurses do not go into this field for recognition, she is grateful they are getting the recognition they have always deserved.