'Am I doing the right thing?': Doctors talk parenting 1-year-old while on front lines
Over the last six weeks, Peggy and James Ji are like so many parents across the country juggling caring for a child at home while working full time.
But unlike most Americans, the Los Angeles-based couple are both doctors working on the front lines of caring for COVID-19 patients at local hospitals.
"Never before in my life have I worried about our career choice affecting family members," Peggy told "Good Morning America."
Both both work in emergency medicine. They asked to withhold the name of the hospitals where they work due to privacy concerns.
Doctors by day, but parents all the time, the Jis have a 1-year-old daughter and made the difficult decision to keep the family together versus self-quarantining even with the risk of coronavirus exposure, Peggy said.
"We have a daughter at home and we have an [elderly] family member who is a caretaker living with us as well. I am thinking, 'Am I doing the right thing for myself? For my family?' in addition to wanting to do the right thing for my patients," Peggy said.
"We decided it wasn’t in our best interest to move away from our daughter ... I just couldn’t imagine not coming home and seeing her and I think she needs us as much as we need her."
According to James, the family is taking extra safety measures when coming home with a thorough sanitization routine.
Still, the couple decided that they should get a will "just in case," James said.
In a moving Instagram post, Dr. Peggy Ji shared a special thank-you message to civilians everywhere, who are making the choice to stay home amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"While some may call us 'frontline' as healthcare workers, we are more like the last line of defense," Peggy wrote on April 3 in her Instagram post. "Everyone - including non-medical civilians are the 'frontline,' because they can make the first difference by social distancing and staying at home."
"I really see a lot of messages of people supporting each other and encouraging people to stay home and I honestly am just so thankful that everyone out there is doing their part," said Peggy. "I'm doing my best and I’m doing what I can do right and [people staying home] are doing the right things for us."
Ultimately, the Jis hope that this moment and her message can turn into a lesson for their daughter.
"[When she grows up], she will be faced with something else in her life and I hope that she recognizes that it’s okay to be scared … but just do something and take action and thank the other people who are helping you," said Peggy.
