Nurse forced to go hungry after grueling 2-day shift begs people to stop emptying grocery stores amid pandemic
A critical care nurse was left in tears after she could not buy basic food items in stores after her 48-hour shift amid the coronavirus pandemic. The nurse, identified as 51-year-old Dawn Bilbrough, from the city of York in England, posted a heartbreaking video online, in an appeal urging people to stop stripping supermarket shelves of necessary items.
Bilbrough, in her video, explained that she had just completed an exhausting shift at the hospital when she visited her supermarket to pick up basic food items for the next two days, however, she was distraught after finding no essential items in the store which left her in tears.
The healthcare worker discovered that there were no fruits and vegetables left at the store for her to sustain a healthy living amid the COVID-19 outbreak, and she resorted to issuing a public plea, urging people to "just stop it," the Daily Mail reported. The 51-year-old took to Facebook to say: "So I've just come out of the supermarket. There's no fruit and veg and I had a little cry in there," she said from the seat of her car.
"I'm a critical care nurse and I've just finished 48 hours of work and I just wanted to get some stuff in for the next 48 hours," Bilbrough said. "There's no fruit, there's no vegetables and I just don't know how I'm supposed to stay healthy."
"Those people who are just stripping the shelves have basic foods you just need to stop it because it's people like me that are going to be looking after you when you are at your lowest and just stop it please!" she continued.
Shortly after the nurse shared the emotional clip, she was flooded with messages of support from her friends and loved ones, with some offering her some of their own food items. One person wrote: "Oh Dawn, I'm so sorry to see you so upset. The job you are doing is so very important to so many people, and how unfair it is that this means you are last in line for the nutritious food you really need to stay healthy and keep doing that important job. Thinking of you and sending much love.xxx"
While another said: "Oh dear Dawn, heartbreaking to see you like this, I feel you, you are strong, and it is so important what you do... and many others... proud proud proud. I will share..."
Meanwhile, a person offered Bilbrough some of their own groceries: "Dawn bless you, please don’t cry! I’m in isolation but I have a bag of potatoes, carrots and a watermelon you can have. I can leave them on my doorstep for you, double bagged! Be fine once, cleaned and boiled. Please don’t cry."
The video comes as governments across the world have been urging their citizens to desist from panic buying citing there are enough products available in the supply chain but shoppers need to behave responsibly, allowing everyone to access basic food and necessary products.
Supermarket chains like Tesco, and Sainsbury's, amid panic buying, have announced that they will be restricting customers to only purchasing three of any grocery items.