An Oakland nurse turns to her beloved Steph Curry jersey for strength and inspiration while caring for patients affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Curry himself gave her some more personally over FaceTime on Tuesday.
The Warriors star called Shelby Delaney, an ICU nurse at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, and thanked her and her colleagues for their tireless work ahead of their Tuesday night shift.
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“I love it,” Curry said in a video posted on Delaney’s Facebook page (via Bay Area News Group). “I can’t thank God enough for what you’re doing and just the sacrifice, the selflessness and the way everybody’s coming together. Thank you so much for what you do, your heart and the inspiration you provide for everybody.”
Coronavirus patients began being admitted to Alta Bates last month, and Bay Area News Group’s Julia Prodis Sulek reported Wednesday that Delaney was one of the first nurses to volunteer to care for them. Loved ones can’t visit affected patients in order to limit the virus’ spread, but Delaney stands by her their side and offers reassurance.
Delaney revealed last week in a Facebook post that she wore her Curry jersey under her scrubs on a day she “felt powerless and defeated … [needing] to summon her inner Warrior.” She instructed how people could help nurses like her in the fight against the coronavirus, employing the Warriors’ “Strength in Numbers” mantra.
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Her post prompted Bay Area News Group to reach out to the Warriors, and Prodis Sulek wrote that Curry wanted to personally reach out to Delaney and her colleagues.
“I wanted to thank you for how much you inspired me,” she said (via Bay Area News Group), “especially when I first started my job here, it’s a really steep learning curve, you have two people that you’re trying to make sure they don’t die on shift, and a lot of tough stuff going on with family.
“There were times I wanted to quit, give up. … That’s when I started wearing the jersey. That was like, just my way of kind of gathering my strength, reminding myself I’ve got this.”
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Curry has long been Delaney’s favorite player, and Prodis Sulek reported Delaney owns 10 Curry jerseys. Delaney’s first date with her husband was at a Warriors game at Oracle Arena, and the two had a Warriors-themed wedding last summer.
Delaney changed into a pair of Under Armour’s Curry 4 sneakers when it was time to hit the dance floor on her wedding night, and she was wearing Curry 6s on Tuesday.
“I appreciate that,” Curry said. “What we do is fun and all that, but more people need to know about what goes on in your world … especially in a pandemic like this, so thank you to you, the whole staff, everybody.
“We are praying for you, thinking about you guys. I wanted to just thank you personally for sharing your story.”