All throughout the week, TODAY has set aside time to recognize nurses in honor of National Nurses Week. With the world being in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses are working around the clock to care for patients and halt the further spread of the virus.
As frontline workers, nurses are currently placing their own lives at risk every day they clock in. Many nurses have contracted COVID-19 themselves, including nursing assistant Bridgette Robinson.
Bridgette contracted COVID-19 last month and spent several weeks on a ventilator while being cared for in the ICU. Thankfully, she made a full recovery.
While speaking with TODAY, Bridgette said thoughts of her grandson are what helped her fight and pull through:
“All I could think about was my grandson,” she said. “I was just thinking ‘My baby needs me. He needs me. He loves me. I gotta get back to him.”
Bridgette’s daughter, Sylvia, followed in her mama’s footsteps and became a nurse. She actually works as a nurse at the same hospital where her mother received treatment after contracting COVID-19.
Sylvia gives credit to God for helping her mom recover, saying she was able to beat COVID-19 because of “God, prayers and her fight for life.”
The mother-daughter nursing duo’s mention of God struck a chord with a country singer who happened to be listening in on their call. That country singer was Blake Shelton.
Hoda Kotb of the "Today" show gave a Northshore nurse a little love Thursday morning, with an assist from Blake Shelton. We couldn't help but share this sweet story. https://t.co/3w7VOKVS5c
— St. Tammany Health System (@sthealthsystem) May 8, 2020
Blake, who is good friends with TODAY‘s Hoda Kotb, was waiting on her video call with Bridgette and Sylvia. The pair had no idea Blake was listening to their story until he finally chimed in on the call. They were surprised to say the least!
“The whole time I heard you guys talking you keep throwing it back to God and I love hearing you say that,” Blake told the nursing duo. He then said he’d like to sing one of his most meaningful songs in their honor:
“So I want to dedicate this song from me to you guys as nurses and being out there on the frontlines. I think this song really speaks to your relationship with each other, if you ask me,” he said.
The song Blake sang was “God Gave Me You.” He performed acoustically, and Bridgette and Sylvia seemed to treasure every second of his serenade.
You can watch the touching moment Blake surprised the mother and daughter nurses by tuning in to the clip below. It was so kind of him to reach out to them and help make their day a little brighter.
A huge thank you to Bridgette, Sylvia, and all other frontline and essential workers. We tip our hats to you.