The coronavirus pandemic has separated many from their loved ones as people are forced to stay home on lockdown.
This is proving particularly difficult for those who have relatives working on the front line to help save lives.
One little girl is finding is especially hard to be away from her dad, while he’s treating sick patients in the emergency room.
American blogger Mary Katherine Backstrom, opened up about her daughter’s struggles in a heartbreaking post on Instagram.
The mum-of-two shared a snap of her husband Ian and daughter Holland on Facetime and wrote: “Another shift, another FaceTime call. ‘Goodnight, Daddy!’ ‘Goodnight!’ ‘I love you, Daddy!’ ‘I love you, too, Baby Girl!’ ‘Don’t get coronavirus Daddy!’ He paused. ‘…I love you, sweetie!’
“Ian got off the phone, and went to work on sick patients in the emergency room. I went to work putting our children to bed.”
The mum went on to explain how she’d hoped speaking to her dad would help Holland settle down for bed, but it didn’t.
Instead the little girl asked a question that nearly reduced her mum to tears.
“Getting off the phone, I could tell Holland was still unsettled. I frowned. ‘Holland, what is it?’ She thought quietly for a second then turned toward me in the bed.
“‘Why wasn’t Daddy wearing his superhero mask?’ My heart fell into my stomach. I knew where this was leading.”
She continued: “Snuggling up closely to my little girl last night, I pulled her baby blanket up tight around her shoulders. ‘You don’t need to worry about your Daddy,’ I whispered. ‘He’s a superhero. You know that.’
“And do you know what she said to me? She looked at me with tears in her big brown eyes, and said: ‘But even superheroes have to wear their masks.’ Oof. My heart just broke.”
Holland had been feeling very stressed about her ‘superhero’ dad being in the hospital, which had caused her to cry a lot and she’d even been suffering with anxiety stomach aches.
In order to try and reassure her that he was ok, Ian had pulled down his face mask for a few moments on FaceTime, so that his daughter could see him smile.
Unfortunately the touching gesture wasn’t enough to calm the little one’s concern and Mary was devastated to see her daughter worrying so much, instead of just enjoying being a child.
The mum added: “Our babies have always seen us as superheroes, but they never had to question our powers until just now.
“They deserve a childhood where they feel safe, and it’s up to us to give it to them. Whatever it takes.”
Do you have an inspirational lockdown story to share? We want to hear about it! Email courtney.pochin@mirror.co.uk
