CHESAPEAKE, Va. - Respiratory therapists are on the front line of the pandemic, saving lives.
It’s a scary time to enter the medical field professionally.
Taylor Moneypenny knew she wanted to become a respiratory therapist when she saw how they helped her grandmother when she was suffering from cancer.
Moneypenny is graduating from Tidewater Community College and is about to embrace her new career in the middle of the coronavirus outbreak on May 11.
“Two years ago when I signed up for this, I knew it wouldn’t be an easy thing,” said Moneypenny. “What we are going through right now is unknown, and what I’m about to enter in is unknown, but I’m willing to do it. I signed up for this, and I’m excited. I’m excited to step in and help.”
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She will start her job at the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in June.
According to TCC, respiratory therapists evaluate and monitor the heart and lung functions of patients, helping them breathe better. They often treat premature infants whose lungs are not fully developed, teens struggling with asthma or elderly patients battling lung diseases. But they said right now, their primary focus is on helping people recover after contracting COVID-19.
Moneypenny graduated from Hickory High School in 2014 and received her bachelor’s degree from Old Dominion University.
