It's been a difficult and unpredictable year, but out of terrible circumstances, hope sprung from the many difference-makers we highlighted throughout the year.
Father Robert Pace Trinity Episcopal Church in Fort Worth was the first case of COVID 19 in Tarrant County.
"It was really touch and go. And then they're saying things like, 'Your oxygen is going down. We're going to have to talk about a ventilator,'" Father Pace said. "And then you're in this isolation. It was a tremendously jarring experience."
He spent weeks in the hospital before getting better. While he was the first positive case in Tarrant County, he was also one of the first to donate plasma and save lives, including the life of Jose Martinez.
"I got a call from doctor and he said the person to whom I'd given my plasma wanted to meet me," said Father Pace. "We were both in masks. I could see his smile through his eyes. And I hope he could see my smile. And to see him healthy and happy, it was one of the most joyous experiences of my life. "
"There was a lot of emotion," Jose said. "I was so overwhelmed with joy and I thanked him for the selfless act that he did …donating plasma to save my life."
And then were the nurses, on the frontlines and in schools, or both, like RN Veronica De La Torre, who is a school nurse at a DISD's school and moonlights at the hospital on the weekends. Concerned about whether her students were getting the medication they needed once the pandemic began, Veronica began calling her students every day to check on them.
"I was talking to everybody and I could hear coughing, not being able to breathe. Or they would tell me things like they got tested, tested positive and they were sent home and didn't know what to do," Veronica said.
That's when Veronica went above and beyond for several Spanish speaking families.
"I actually met several families at local hospitals so they could seek treatment," Veronica said. "I met a couple of families here on campus in a car so they could follow me to a hospital and get treatment."
Then there were the many restaurants affected by the pandemic, including the Taco Stop in the Design District, known not only for its delicious tacos and for feeding hundreds of frontline healthcare workers at local hospitals, but also for free coats it offered to anyone who needed it.
"For people who needed the jackets, I think the beauty of something like that is…for a lot of communities, but particularly for Mexicans, it is very hard to ask for help," said Emilia Flores, owner of Taco Stop. "So if you're going through a rough time, you could just go in there, grab what you need and leave."
The taco stop closed for good this year....but Emilia says she'll never stop giving.
"It was something that drew a lot of people and people got the idea that it was so simple to help somebody else," Emilia said. "It is not really about Taco Stop or me, it was something to remind people that you can always do something to help someone else."
They're this year's KRLD Difference Makers.
If you know someone making a difference in the community, send us an email at differencemaker@krld.com.
