Former First Lady Michelle Obama has shared a message of support for health care workers in Chicago. In a one-and-a-half-minute audio message distributed to 18 hospitals and three local nurses unions, the South Side native acknowledged the extreme challenges health care workers are facing, thanked them for their hard work and said she knew – through their strength, compassion and dedication – that “we will get through this crisis.”
Obama witnessed firsthand the dedication of nurses, doctors and other hospital staffers at the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she worked for years building programs for community relations, neighborhood outreach and volunteer recruitment. She took an unpaid leave of absence from the medical center when Barack Obama ran for president and she resigned after he won the White House.
Listen to the message below.
Michelle Obama Transcript:
Hi, everybody. It’s Michelle Obama. I just want to take a few minutes to let you know how profoundly grateful Barack and I are for the heroic work that all of you are doing right now in Chicago. We know that you all are facing overwhelming challenges. You are working around the clock, spending long hours away from your families and making impossible decisions, day after day. You are soothing terrified patients, consoling heartbroken loved ones, summoning every ounce of the compassion and strength that you’ve got, and you are saving countless lives while risking your own. I know that you are exhausted, and I know that you must be afraid. But every single day you all continue to show up and do your jobs with excellence, empathy and an unwavering devotion to every patient who walks through your doors and I am just in awe of all of you. You embody the very best of who we are – the very best. And I know we will get through this crisis because of you. So today I just want to stay thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I love you all. I am proud of you all. And I am praying for every single one of you, for your safety, your health and your strength in all the days ahead. Thanks again. Take care.
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