SAN ANTONIO -- Health care workers say they're overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases, especially in New York City, which is the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S. However, nurses from all over the country – including San Antonio - are traveling to be on the front lines in New York.
- San Antonio nurse Natasha Gonzales headed to front line in New York
- Will work 12-hour shifts for 21 days
- Friends, family this week gave her a send-off
A line of honking cars in April is pretty normal in San Antonio, but motorists weren’t sounding their horns because the Spurs just won a playoff game - it was a send-off for Natasha Gonzales.
The Gonzales family spent their Easter Sunday in quarantine a day before Gonzales’s flight.
“It's really emotional. I didn’t know it was going to happen. My husband set it all up, so he just said, ‘Hurry up, we need to go outside,’” Gonzales says.
Waiting outside were Gonzales’s friends and family, supporting her decision that could save lives.
“I wanted her to see the amount of support there. We are all proud of her and we love her,” her husband, Albert Gonzales, said.
The drivers made three laps around her block before they handed her luggage, signs, and well-wishes.
“So I’ve decided that, along with the help of my family, I’m going to New York to help my fellow nurses on the front lines,“ Natasha Gonzales says. “My contract is for 21 days. I’ll be working 12-hour shifts for 21 days.”
Friends and familiy hold a send-off celebration for Natasha Gonzales in this image from April 2020. (Jose Arredondo/Spectrum News)
Natasha Gonzales’s aunt wore a T-shirt honoring her late grandmother.
“You’re doing God’s work and I love you,” her aunt, Lucy Borrego, said, giving her an air hug.
The Gonzales family is involved in the community with their Fiesta medal business Mira Medals LLC, and Natasha Gonzales’s social media platform, Norteño 210.
“I’ve always been into community service ever since I was a little girl, and that kind of transpired into the health care field,” Natasha Gonzales says.
When Natasha Gonzales isn’t working her 12-hour shifts, she should expect phone calls from her three children, Elora, Jaiden and Dean.
“We are going to talk to Natasha every day. We are going to talk to mom every day,” Albert Gonzales says.
San Antonio nurse Natasha Gonzales appears in this image from April 2020. (Jose Arredondo/Spectrum News)
“It’s just really emotional to know that I have way more support than I think I have,” Natasha Gonzales says.
The morning of Natasha Gonzales’s flight, she and her husband embraced before her three-week journey. And as she walked away, a San Antonio International Airport employee thanked her for being on the front lines in New York.