Holy Cross – Keeping the Faith in the Time of Corona

By Dorn Martell

During this unprecedented time, in the COVID-19 Pandemic, it is extremely difficult to find the right information and someone to trust. Holy Cross Hospital has risen to the challenge and has become a beacon of hope in our community.

Holy Cross Hospital was founded in 1955, by The Sisters of Mercy, as a non-profit hospital. Their mission was and is to be a healing ministry that improves the health of the whole community. The cornerstone of this mission is faith. Science confirms the fact that faith speeds healing time and helps create better outcomes. And never has our faith been put to the test like in this latest crisis.

As part of our on-going campaign promoting faith and safety, “Faith is a Powerful Ally” was featured in print, outdoor and digital to reach Holy Cross’ Greater Ft. Lauderdale market and the ad below was created specifically to honor Holy Cross’ nurses and staff during these challenging times.

Holy Cross isn’t resting on their laurels; they are on the cutting edge of treatments for COVID-19. Recently, the hospital employed ECMO Therapy (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) to save a man’s life who was suffering from the effects of the virus. He could not breathe and was placed in an induced coma and on a ventilator.

“There is no doubt Alberto would have died within the hour,” said Dr. Irving David from Holy Cross Hospital.

ECMO is a machine that has an oxygenator for the lungs and a pump to cycle a patient’s blood.

In layman’s terms, cardiothoracic surgeons at the hospital say it can be considered a lung and heart machine.

Alberto is on the mend now because the machine kept him alive long enough to receive antibody serum or the blood from a different patient who has recovered from the virus.

The treatment is rarely used, as only 21 lives in the entire world have been saved by it. Alberto is the first such patient in South Florida. At Holy Cross science and faith go hand-in-hand and we could not be more proud to be part of the team.

To see the whole story: https://www.local10.com/news/local/2020/04/30/holy-cross-hospital-uses-new-technology-to-save-live-of-man-with-covid-19/

To donate to the COVID-19 Response Fund or the Sr. Catherine McAuley Fund go to: https://www.holycrossdonations.com/