‘A year later and I stand in awe looking at my team. They matured,
they are skilled but the thing that bring tears to my eyes is when they
pray for their patients. Encouraging them to fight. We became the
patients’ families . . . Holding their hands if they die, no one must die
alone.’

These are the words of a South African nurse working on the front line in the time of Covid-19. Now their stories have been collected in this book by leaders in nursing science and education studies who put out a call on social media with this question: ‘What was/is nursing in South Africa during the Covid-19 pandemic like for you?’

In came heart-wrenching tales of caring for patients in wards and ICU, of feeling overwhelmed and alone, of fear of getting infected. There are also moving tales of personal growth, renewed purpose, deep empathy for patients and finding strength in colleagues and the wider community. Journey with these nurses into the heart of the pandemic and find out why one says: ‘I wish they knew we never wanted to be hailed as heroes.’