Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Fastaff has been honored to support our courageous nurses saving lives on the frontlines. We’re continually in awe of their dedication and the determination to not only take these pandemic crisis assignments—but continually come back and work many more. Grover Street, a Fastaff ER nurse, is one of these awe-inspiring nurses.

In his new book, Chasing the Surge, Grover provides insight in the pandemic from a little-known perspective, the nurse. We've asked him a few questions to further explore his reasons for writing his compelling book.

1. How and when did you decide to be a nurse? As a young boy growing up in Mississippi I had two choices —working the shipyard or be in a gang. After several close calls, I decided education was the better path to me. Healthcare seemed appealing to me and the role of a nurse to help others called me.

2. How was the last year fighting COVID different from anything you had done in nursing? In the military? The COVID pandemic presented the healthcare with challenges that no one has ever had to face before: PPE shortages, not enough healthcare workers or staff and an overabundance of patients. This was a disease that has never been studied, so we did not understand it or how to treat it or the long term ramifications.

3. How did the idea of a book come to you, and how long did it take you to write it? After almost a year of valuable experience, I felt the need to share my story, not just to other healthcare workers but to patients and families. My goal is to help educate the public on what actually happened behind the closed doors of hospitals in the pandemic and to discuss the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. It took a remarkable four months with help from my physician wife and writer sister-in-law.

4. What would you want the reader to take away from reading the book, and what is one thing that you think may surprise the reader? We can achieve great things as a society if we unite for common goals whether it is battling a pandemic or fighting social injustices.  The most surprising thing is that what I described in the book happened in one short year. 

5. How does this book represent the many other healthcare providers that you partnered with the fight COVID in the past year? I feel fortunate that I had the help of my family to be able to write my detailed experiences. I am the voice of my colleagues who shared similar experiences as me during this chaotic year.