Iris Meda, 70, loved her craft so much, she left retirement to teach nursing students at a Texas community college in the middle of the pandemic.
Media retired in January but applied for a teaching job at Collin College in Allen, Texas — just under 30 miles north of Dallas — to help train aspiring nurses, her daughter Selene Meda-Schlamel said.
“I know for her, it was important to train nurses because she knew that the medical field was going to suffer due to Covid-19,” Selene said, “But she also felt safe going into the classroom, and she understood that nothing was guaranteed by doing so.”
Meda started teaching in August. But on November 14, three months later, Meda died of Covid-19.
According to the school’s Fall 2020 restart plan, Collin College requires that all students, faculty, staff, contractors, and visitors wear face coverings while in all public areas. Selene said she thinks her mother contracted the virus while teaching.
“She felt like she could be of service not on the front lines, but in the classroom not realizing that that was still the front lines,” her daughter said. “She was the anchor of the family and the anchor is gone now.”
Collin College’s District President Neil Matkin shared the news of Meda’s passing in an email to the faculty.
“October 2, Meda was working with a dual credit CNA [certified nursing assistant] student at Anna High School who was demonstrating sneezing, coughing, and watery eyes,” Matkin wrote, according to the Washington Post.
“All were wearing masks, but were not socially distanced due to the skills being practiced,” the email said.
“On October 9, 2020 — Professor Meda learned the student tested positive for COVID. On October 11, 2020, Iris began having a sore throat and she reportedly began feeling worse on October 12th and 13th. On October 14th she met with her PCP and was tested for COVID with a PCR test.
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Selene said she got to say goodbye to her mother in the hospital, where she entered her mother’s room wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent catching the virus herself.
“She was completely lifeless,” Selene said. “It was very clear that (her body) was just a vessel and to think that anyone comes back from that is amazing because it (the virus) ravaged her so quickly.”
The 70-year-old was motivated to pass on her expertise in nursing to aspiring students in part due to her own education experience, Selene said.
A GoFundMe in Meda’s name has been set up to cover funeral and medical expenses and a scholarship fund in her honor.