You see it all over social media; the exhausted eyes of those on the front lines of the pandemic, with red marks across their faces from where their masks have been on for long, grueling hours. These are the true heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic; the ones battling every day to keep our families safe.

Sarah MacDowell and Amy Burch are two of those workers on the front lines.

“There a long days, there are tough days, there are trying days emotionally and physically but to see the progression throughout the day makes those challenges disappear," Sarah says.

Amy and Sarah are St. Joe's Registered Nurses who’ve been working at a hospital in Flint, Michigan for over a week. They’re just two of 80 that have been deployed to help other hospitals across the country that are in need.

Sarah says that when they arrived at the hospital, they were embraced immediately.

“You could tell that they were hitting a surge, you could tell that they were stretched to the limit, but still doing an amazing job,” said Sarah.

Some days are better than others, Amy gave a prime example.

“I had the opportunity to take care of a gentleman that was very, very sick,” said Amy. “Just to see his progress, to see him get better, to see him go from being on a ventilator to being able to speak to his family was wonderful. It makes your heart so full and happy.”

While there are days filled with happiness, some days aren’t as good.

“We have those days of frustration. We have those days of exhaustion and wanting to just cry and give up but you can’t because of that person that’s in that bed that you’re taking care of," Sarah says.

But for Sarah, the reward outweighs the risk of working in a hospital system that had nearly 500 coronavirus patients for nearly a month.

 “It was a no-brainer. We felt like we needed to be out there. We are really the eyes, ears and the hand of these family members that can’t be there."  

The bubbly duo doesn't know what the future holds. They may go elsewhere once things have settled down in Michigan to help another hospital in need, or they may come home to their families. These are the faces of pandemic. These are the real superheroes.