Chiefs’ Laurent Duvernay-Tardif has been brought to tears being on COVID-19 front line
In his years as a medical student, Chiefs offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif faced some stressful situations.
But that didn’t prepare him for the emotional toll of working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While Duvernay-Tardif has earned his medical degree, he has not started residency training, so he can’t practice medicine. But during the pandemic, he has been working at a long-term facility near his hometown about an hour from Montreal.
Duvernay-Tardif was interviewed by Andrea Kremer for HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel,” and discussed his work at the facility and the measures he takes to avoid spreading the coronavirus.
“The long-term care facility has been an incubator for the virus over the past few weeks,” Duvernay-Tardif said in a clip Kremer shared on Twitter. “And because there is no treatment, the best thing we can do is make sure the virus doesn’t get into the building.”
While he’s been able to stay safe physically, Duvernay-Tardif talked about the emotional toll his work has taken. He recounted speaking with his girlfriend Florence Dubé-Moreau.
“Two days ago I got back home and I burst into tears talking to Florence about my day,” Duvernay-Tardif said in the clip. “Throughout medical school, I don’t think I cried once and now for the first time, I’m coming home and I’m all messed up, you know?”
Duvernay-Tardif explained that he was on Face Time with the daughter of a patient who hadn’t talked to a person without protective gear in six weeks. The patient and the daughter were weeping.
“To see the whole crisis from the perspective of the people that I’m treating, it’s really a challenging situation that’s taking a toll emotionally on you,” Duvernay-Tardif said.
Here is the clip:
The episode will air at 9 p.m. Tuesday on HBO, which shared this description of the segment: “A few months after winning the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs, starting offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is now on the front lines helping to save lives amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. As the virus spread across the world, Duvernay-Tardif turned to his second occupation as a medical professional, volunteering at a long-term healthcare facility in his native Quebec, covering shifts for overworked and overtaxed healthcare workers who are fighting the pandemic. Duvernay-Tardif speaks with Andrea Kremer about his experience on the front lines, and when it will be safe for sports to return.”
