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By Lucy Lau

Ruby Quiambao has seen long days and nights in Michael ¾ÅÓÎÌåÓý’s (MGH) Emergency Department (ED).

The staff registered nurse has been on the frontlines of the pandemic, caring for COVID-19 patients, dispensing medical information and soothing feelings of fear and anxiety.

She admits it hasn’t been easy. So when she spotted the recently installed Gratitude Gallery, a wall of photographs and messages of thanks from the local community, she couldn’t help but to feel moved.

“It just created a spark in our eye,� Ruby says. “It feels so special, so touching because we can really see how loved and appreciated we are by the community.�

Situated in the G-wing hallway off the Mortimer Lobby, the Gratitude Gallery was conceived by Shelley Darling, director of corporate communications and Maternal Newborn and Child at MGH.

She says she came up with the idea as a way to showcase the hundreds of messages of support MGH began receiving from the community in March. These include thank you notes, drawings and images, and videos of residents cheering on frontline workers, which were shared with MGH through email and social media.

“We wanted to get these messages out to ensure people could see them,� says Shelley. “And we thought what better way than displaying them in a place our staff walks through every day, so they can start their day with these great messages.�

The Gallery is comprised of messages of support from MGH’s donors, which were collected by the when it launched the to fight COVID-19. The messages express appreciation and encouragement and ask healthcare providers to take care of themselves.

There are also photographs of staff from a diverse array of departments at MGH, their eyes bright and smiles evident even through layers of personal protective equipment.

“They’re the security, the porters, the people behind us,� Ruby says. “Seeing them is meaningful because it makes clear it’s not only the people in my immediate surroundings who are in this. It’s the people upstairs, downstairs, all around us. All of us are working together for a good cause.�

As messages, photographs and drawings continue to pour into MGH, the Gratitude Gallery has grown beyond a single hallway. Heartfelt notes and images now also decorate the staff cafeteria on the hospital’s fourth floor. In the G-wing hallway across from Admitting, the Michael ¾ÅÓÎÌåÓý Foundation has also posted messages alongside a Tree of Hope with notes from volunteers.

Ruby says the hand-drawn illustrations in the Gallery are some of her favourites � colourful pictures by children in the community that depict hearts, butterflies and flowers. Some even portray healthcare workers as cape-donning superheroes. It’s a sight she looks forward to seeing every day.

“I’m very thankful,� Ruby says. “Thank you for recognizing and supporting us because we all work together. We work for the community and we hope that they all work with us.�