ROCKY RIVER, Ohio — 30-year-old Kelsey Pease has lived for the last few months without her girls by her side.
She's a licensed practical nurse at a local assisted living center. With COVID-19 concerns, the risk was too high to expose her children, Brooke, 11, and Madison, 4.
“Their dad also goes in and out of buildings for his job, and me being a frontline worker, we just decided as a family that it’s safer for everybody," Kelsey told us.
So, the girls went to live with her parents, Rick and Sue Pease.
“We're doing good," Sue said. "We're hanging in there. But it's not the same. They miss her. They miss hugs."
It was a gut-wrenching decision for the single mom, who says she misses sharing a bed with her girls.
"It’s been really horrible," Kelsey said. "Not seeing them is one thing, but not being able to touch them or kiss them or hug them. ... They sleep in my bed every night when they’re home, so not having them in my bed either is really, really hard."
But Kelsey is made for her job, because she's equal parts grit and selflessness.
"Oh, Kelsey. She is an awesome nurse," Sue said of her daughter. "She just does it without even thinking and she loves it. She loves what she's doing.”
That doesn't mean it doesn't get hard.
“Sometimes I do just want to throw in the towel.”
But she won't. She loves her girls too much.
“They're just my life. They're everything that's good that's happened to me," Kelsey said.
So, she says she'll hold on until she can hug them again.
“My family has just always been my rock. Every single one of them. I wouldn't be who I am today without any of those people right there," Kelsey said.
Kelsey, thank you for your dedication and service on the frontlines.
Watch the clip above to see how we surprised Kelsey with messages of love from her family.
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