The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond XXXIII

MAIYA YANCY
TED DOOLIN, TEACHER
William H. Ohrenberger School, Boston, MA
When you think about courage, what do you imagine? Everyone’s perspective
on courage is different. When I think of courage, I think of my mother.
She is brave, outgoing, full of strength, confident, and fearless. All of the
characteristics I have just listed appear in my definition of courage.
My mother, Casey, works at Boston Medical Center, along with her best friend,
Katlyn Campbell. In 2020, during the pandemic which took the whole world
by surprise, these two did something that would truly shock most. What my
mother and her best friend did takes courage. Not all people have courage in
them like these two do. They work in the ICU, or intensive care unit, meaning
most of their patients are in critical condition. Due to the pandemic, patients
who may not have had much time to live were not able to have their families
come see them, because of visitor restrictions.
“WHEN I THINK OF
COURAGE, I THINK
OF MY MOTHER.”
My mother and her best friend had the courageous idea to ask people in the
community for, first, a printer; second, lots and lots of ink; and lastly, their
support. With these things, my mother and her best friend printed out pictures
of all of their patients’ families and hung them in their patients’ rooms, allowing
them to see their families whenever they needed. Doing this for their patients
during an extremely tough time in the world shows that simple, courageous
actions can make all the difference, especially when it comes down to allowing
people to see their loved ones.
Each day, during the start of the pandemic, when my mother went to work, she
feared. She wasn’t sure what COVID was, when it would go away, or if it was
going to become even worse than it already was. It takes an exceptionally
courageous person to go to work every day with a million questions and still
have a smile on their face when they come home. That’s what makes my
mother and her best friend truly courageous.
Keep in mind that all this time, from going to work, to coming home from
work, to doing it all again, my mother stayed motivated and willing to wake up
with a smile on her face. She continuously kept that smile on her face every day
she went to work and came home. For my mother to be able to do that takes
“mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear,
or difficulty,” which is the definition of courage.
THE COURAGE OF CHILDREN: BOSTON AND BEYOND
VOLUME XXXIII
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