Although the longest year of our lives, it was only over a mere 14 months ago that scientists discovered the world was facing an unknown enemy in the new strain of the coronavirus, Covid-19. Healthcare workers faced unsurmountable workload, acuity, and death rates unmatched by any other illness we have ever seen. In this darkness, we might take a moment to reflect on the amazing and incredible world of science, and the speed, and intensity to combat what will most certainly be a marked time in history.

Within this past year, an organism was identified, studied, and understood, and it was only a month ago, that the vaccine was a faint light at the end of a very long tunnel. Thankfully, many of our most high-risk healthcare professionals and members of society were the first to receive a dose.   At so many moments, where as a profession, we feel like the “forgotten ones”, we are at the front of the line.  Although this has varied geographically and practice location based, and certainly, not without controversy, it is a great feeling that we have been triaged to the top. It may have taken a pandemic, but hopefully this is a sign of the future. Respiratory Therapists are an invaluable and essential part of the team and the world now knows it.