Athletics | 5/8/2020 11:21:00 AM

 By Paul Suellentrop
 
 The COVID-19 pandemic produces anxiety sorrow and exhaustion for many, including those who work in medicine.
 
It also produces hope and inspiration when those medical personnel see the public uniting with social distancing, reduced activity and travel, working from home and hand-washing.
 
"It has been really heart-warming to see everybody taking care of each other, checking in on people maybe you wouldn't have in the past," said Lawson Montgomery, a former Wichita State hurdler and a resident physician at University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City. "It's a hard thing to do, to ask people to stop what they're doing. You're putting yourself second and the rest of the community first and that's really a special thing."
 
Montgomery, a public health sciences major, is one of several former Shockers working in the medical field during the pandemic. While experiences vary by geography and job, they are in a unique position to help, observe and learn during this time.
 
"Everybody kept using the term 'Flatten the curve,'" said Todd McKown, a nurse practitioner in Wichita's Wesley Medical Center emergency room and a former Wichita State hurdler. "It's definitely done that and, I think, more. Now we're in that middle ground of 'Can we open up some things?' and help our economy. I'm not a fortune teller, for sure, but the normalcy of life is probably going to be this social distancing for a while."
 
Montgomery works with around eight to 14 COVID-19 patients in his area in the Kansas City hospital. McKown, and wife Courtney McKown, also a former Shocker with a doctor of nurse practicing degree, haven't yet seen a large number of COVID-19 patients in the Wesley emergency room. They say that is a compliment to the public following instructions. 
 
"A lot of people have really taken heed to the stay at home orders," said Todd McKown, who holds a degree in chemistry and nursing and a doctorate of nursing practice from Wichita State. 
 
Grant Ralston, a former long jumper who majored in biology, starts his residency in June in Springfield, Mo. The pandemic ended his rotations early and he is spending his time learning and preparing to jump into his duties as a resident.

 "There's never been more of a need for good family medicine physicians," he said. "Not many doctors have started their residency in the middle of a pandemic. They've told me to continue preparing for anything."
 
Regardless of their duties, they take their responsibilities to help people through this difficult time seriously at work in the hospitals and in conversations with family and friends.
 
"Hopefully, we can cut down on a little bit of the fear and give them more medical information . . . more medically based knowledge," said Courtney McKown, a former Shocker sprinter and also a nurse practitioner at Wesley. "There is a lot of misconceptions about masks. They're absolutely great and people should continue to use them. The biggest thing with the mask is that it's you protecting others from yourself. If you're coughing or sneezing, it's to keep that inside the mask."
 
It is common for family and friends to lean on their expertise in phone calls, texts and FaceTime connections.
 
"Life has changed a lot in the last six, eight weeks," Montgomery said. "I try to educate people on what the right things to do. I think we're OK – we're not New York. But if we're not careful, we certainly could be in trouble. There are hot spots around the nation that you wouldn't think would be."
 
Montgomery remembers the nerves and the planning and the anxiety from February and early March, as the threat of COVID-19 grew.
 
And he remembers when virus became part of his experience.
 
"I don't think I'll ever forget the first time I ever had my stethoscope and laid eyes on someone that was infected," he said. "This was a pandemic that we see on the news and here it was and I was touching the patient and taking care of someone who had a fever and was coughing and I was there, trying to help. I'm very lucky to be able to take care of these people."
 
There is a sense of cautious optimism, always with the warning that people must continue to practice social distancing, wash hands and protect the most vulnerable. In their view, the medical field has learned much over the past two months and a relaxing of restrictions can work.
 
"Continue the social distancing, even now as we are starting to open up," Ralston said. "I definitely think we're headed in the right direction. We've been able to dramatically decrease the numbers that were expected, because of how well everyone, especially in Kansas, has been able to stay at home."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.