LYNN — For Katherine Rushfirth, a nurse-midwife at Massachusetts General Hospital and new mother, being exposed to the coronavirus last month felt like a “worst nightmare scenario.”
Rushfirth had been dreading the possibility of being exposed to the highly contagious virus at work and bringing it home to her family since the outbreak began.
Her anxiety reached its peak when she found out in the last weekend of March that she had an exposure and needed to be tested.
The situation was especially heartbreaking, Rushfirth said, as her mandatory self-quarantine meant she had to be separated from her infant, then 5-month-old Henry, and husband, Jared Nicholson, who serves as a member of the Lynn School Committee, until her test results came back.
So, when Nicholson told her days later that there was something outside their Lynn home she should see, and Rushfirth stepped onto their front porch to find their neighbors gathered for a sidewalk concert in her honor, she was overcome with emotion.
Visibly crying in a video posted by the couple’s neighbor, Peter Cipriano, that has since gone viral, Rushfirth wiped away tears as two classical musicians, Mischa Veselov and Anna Williams, played Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” on their cello and violin.
The musicians, an engaged couple, are friends of Mo Masterson Santamaria, Rushfirth’s close friend, who had organized the sidewalk symphony to cheer her up during the difficult time.
“I saw the musicians, and then I saw Mo, and I saw everything together and I was so overwhelmed,” said Rushfirth, 35, who works as an associate chief midwife at MGH. “It was so kind. I think that it sort of broke down some walls I had around everything. I couldn’t stop crying when I saw this was all happening.”
The moment didn’t just strike a chord with Rushfirth.
The video has been widely shared on social media and picked up by numerous outlets. Notably, it’s been viewed more than half a million times on PBS. Posts have been flooded with comments from people thanking Rushfirth for her service and gratitude for healthcare workers putting themselves at risk during the pandemic.
“It’s incredibly surreal,” said Rushfirth. “It was such a sort of vulnerable moment. I feel fine about it but it’s kind of incredible to think of how many people have seen me weeping on my front steps.”
Masterson Santamaria said her “heart really broke” when Rushfirth told her she would have to be isolated from her infant due to the exposure and wanted to do something to make her feel special.
A new mother herself, Masterson Santamaria said she understands how difficult things are for healthcare workers right now. So, she reached out to another close friend, Williams, and her fiancé, Veselov, and the couple jumped at the chance to perform for Rushfirth.
“This was a way to show she had community and support even though we physically couldn’t be there for her,” said Masterson Santamaria. “(This) was a way to show her she is deeply loved and supported.”
Although nearly everyone is under orders to stay home, Masterson Santamaria said music can still serve as a way to connect with others, adding that the concert was a “way to reach out and show a little humanity when we’re all feeling so isolated.”
Masterson Santamaria said she did expect the intimate moment to go viral. She said the overwhelming response to the video took her breath away and shows that people are clamoring for a chance to reach out and connect with others.
“I’m grateful that people have used the video as an opportunity to thank Katherine for her work and to thank our medical community for going into work for all of us,” she said. “That was the most powerful component for me, how people wanted to thank our medical workers.”
In addition to “Hallelujah,” Williams and Veselov played two other songs for Rushfirth, but the opening song that was captured on video holds special significance for the couple and Masterson Santamaria.
Williams and Veselov played “Hallelujah” for Masterson Santamaria at her wedding several years ago. It was the song Williams was supposed to walk down the aisle to at her own wedding this month, which has been postponed due to the pandemic.
“It’s sort of bittersweet, but more a sweet than bitter reminder of these positive moments we get to share with one another,” said Williams.
Williams said Masterson Santamaria, her best friend and maid of honor, had the idea of a community concert, where neighbors and the musicians would gather in a socially distant way to express their gratitude to Rushfirth for being on the front lines.
“We’re so appreciative to our healthcare heroes and other frontline essential workers and being able to find these little moments to express even just a fraction of the gratitude means so much to us and hopefully we can all find ways to do that collectively,” said Williams.
For the couple, the outdoor concert was also an opportunity to share their music with others in a time where the pandemic has canceled many of their concerts, Veselov said.
“We always try to remember music has the power of connecting us to one another,” said Veselov. “It was special seeing how touched Katherine was. Neighbors stood around at a safe distance. It really felt like a community. That sense of community is something we miss right now. It meant so much to us.”
Thankfully, Rushfirth said her test results came back negative and she has since gone back to work, which she admits has been a bit stressful
“It’s nerve-wracking for sure to go back to work, but at the same time, I’m deeply committed to the work I do, working with women and babies and families to keep them safe and keep them well,” said Rushfirth. “I know that every healthcare provider right now has a lot of anxiety about working. We have our own families that we’re of course thinking about. It’s a very strange time.”
