ICU nurse who traveled to front lines shares emotional video diary about coronavirus patients

With medical workers from across the country traveling to New York City to help fight the novel coronavirus, nurse Rachel Pochop traveled from her home in Florence, Alabama, to work on the front lines of the crisis.

Pochop, a registered nurse at North Alabama Medical Center, volunteered to work at hospitals in New York City for three weeks to help treat coronavirus patients. Her days began around 5 in the morning when a bus arrived to transport her to a treatment facility where she would work late into the night.

"There were very long days; you almost got into a robotic mode of doing this over and over again," Pochop said in a video diary shared with ABC News.

She shared a photo of herself covered in three layers of personal protective equipment and battle-fatigued from long hours, weeping on a dirty mattress in a make-shift break room after she lost three patients in one shift.

Pochop posted an emotional message on social media describing her experience and how the coronavirus outbreak is placing a heavy toll on medical workers, patients and families who are grieving the loss of loved ones.

"The devastation I've witnessed here is not something I can adequately put into words," Pochop wrote in a Facebook post on April 25. "I've FaceTimed a patient's family so they could say goodbye. In 20 days I've put over 40 people in body bags to be put into a refrigerated truck, because the morgue does not have enough space."

As some states begin phased reopening of nonessential businesses and prepare to ease lockdown restrictions, Pochop shed light on the harsh impact that the novel coronavirus has on patients fighting for their lives.

"I understand economical (sic) devastation. I understand the fear of not being able to provide for your family," Pochop said. "But I also have had to allow FaceTime goodbyes and held the hands of people who just couldn't fight this off. I would rather beg for food every day than ever have to be on the other end of that FaceTime call. So please be safe and cautious."

In a video diary recorded on April 28, Pochop described the shocking moments she witnessed with patients and how she will never forget them.

"People would decompensate very quickly; that was something that I wasn't prepared for either, was how quickly they got sicker and that they weren't responding to normal things," she said.

In the emotional video, Pochop recalled a moment of hope while treating a patient who was recovering from the virus.

"I did see one person extubated. It was my favorite day," said Pochop. "The patient just looks up at me and says, 'Hi,' and I started crying and the patient started crying and I said, 'Hi' back and we just cried together for awhile because we didn't know that this would happen. You start not thinking that it's a possibility because it usually isn't; it's very rare."

She added, "When we do have that moment of 'hello again,' it is the best moment ever."

Pochop returned home to Alabama at the end of April and is now in quarantine, but she said that she is grateful for her experience working on the front lines in New York City.

She said the experience taught her about the importance of putting others first and closed her video diary expressing gratitude.

"Thank you, New York, for letting me come love you and serve you," she said. "I love you and I hope you heal."