Alisha Hitt is a nurse who has worked at Midland Memorial Hospital (MMH) before the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
As Halloween passed, and decorations slowly were replaced by PPE, the MMH Oncology ward was preparing to shift to a COVID-19 overflow unit. Hitt had been working at MMH for five months at that point, and along with her co-worker Heather Hale, they wished to find a way to bring positivity back to the hospital's halls, Midland Memorial Hospital said in a report. For this, Hitt turned to her love of art to create a mural for the hospital.
She hoped that the artwork would serve as a form of gratitude toward other nurses and staff at MMH.
"As COVID nurses, we would never be able to do our job we needed to do without everyone else at MMH," Hitt said in the hospital's report. "I just want to say thank you to MMH and the FEMA nurses that were sent by the state."
After receiving the necessary permission from the vice president of nursing, Kit Bredimus, Hitt and Hale created their mural before the winter weather arrived, the report said. Creating the mural was spread over 10 hours across two days.
While the mural did not have a specific initial vision, Hitt and Hale sought to include symbols to commend their fellow workers — a physician's jacket, lungs for respiratory therapists and various others, the hospital's report said.
Hitt believed that a mural was a strong message that would reach many people.
"I wanted to use my artistic ability to reach a lot of people at once," Hitt said in the hospital's report. "It is so nice to know that you are appreciated, and during this time, it's hard to keep going."
She hopes that with the artwork, those who see it may find some joy.
"At the end of a very hard day, I like to smile," Hitt said in the report. "I was hoping to make people smile as they were arriving or leaving."