I spent almost an entire week with Buffy Mayerstein, an Albuquerque nurse working with coronavirus patients. I reported on how treating COVID-19 patients has affected her and her family.
This story took second place in the 2020 New Mexico Press Association Better Newspaper Contest for online photo gallery.
Mayerstein is nurse working in the COVID-19 intensive care unit at Lovelace Hospital. She is a single mother of three, often working 60 hour weeks.
Most mornings, Mayerstein's day starts at 4 a.m. Some days Mayerstein gets less than 4 hours of sleep.
Mayerstein's mother, Teri Mayerstein, watches her daughters while she works.
She usually lets her son, Blauwkamp, stay home and play video games.
Mayerstein doesn't get home until 7 p.m. most days, but Teri will drop off her grandchildren before Mayerstein gets home.
