President Trump and first lady Melania Trump paid tribute Friday to several American heroes who are helping on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis, including Girl Scouts from Maryland who donated cookies to nurses and firefighters.
“The men and women we honor today remind us that the bonds that unite us in times of hardship can also raise us to new heights as we reopen and recover and rebuild,” the president said in a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden.
Among the honorees was Amy Ford, a nurse from Williamson, West Virginia, who traveled to Brooklyn, New York, to work in a hospital besieged with COVID-19 patients.
“For the past 42 days, she’s been working 12-hour shifts in the intensive care units of Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn,” Mr. Trump said. “Amy has been serving the coronavirus patients around the clock, and she once held the hand of an elderly patient all night long, just so the woman would not feel alone.”
Ms. Ford spoke of “times of trial and error, and a lot of prayer.”
“This experience has been one of the emotionally challenging things I’ve ever been through, but it has made me a better person in the end,” she said. “This virus may have initially caught our great nation off guard, but we will overcome this and we will prevail.”
New York City Police Sgt. Spencer Garrett contracted the disease and spent a month fighting it. Now he distributes masks to residents in the East Harlem neighborhood that he patrols.
“My daughter helped me out a lot,” he said of his recovery. “She’s my hero.”
The president told him, “You’re my hero.”
Girl Scouts Laila Khan, Lauren Matney and Sravya Annappareddy of Troop 744 in Elkridge, Maryland, all 10 years old, donated 100 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to local doctors, nurses and firefighters. They also wrote 200 personalized cards for health care workers.
“While we are honored that our troop was invited to be here today, we know that we are just part of the millions of other children out there that are doing amazing things to support their communities, their friends and their families,” Miss Khan said. “It is a privilege to be here representing all of them.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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