Yahoo Movies Virginia Mom Recruits Her 4 Sons to Work Alongside Her on COVID Frontlines: 'It's Been Fun'
Courtesy Hannah Winant Michele Fletcher with her sons Michael, Kyle, Brendan and Nick
A Virginia mom raised her four sons — and now she's working alongside them!
Michele Fletcher recently got the chance of a lifetime to work beside her four sons, Michael, Kyle, Brendan and Nick, after getting them jobs at vaccination sites at Arlington County Public Health, where she works as a nurse, CNN reported.
"It's just been a pleasure working with them. It really has," Michele, 58, told the outlet. "We joke a lot of times ... 'Don't make me call my mom ... if you're not going to do what you're supposed to do, I can call my mom and she's the safety officer. So, watch out!' It's been fun."
"I'm a pretty proud mom," the Springfield resident added to ABC affiliate WJLA.
Michele, who is a mom of seven, started her nursing career later in life, but has been working on the COVID-19 frontlines ever since the pandemic first hit the U.S., according to CNN.
Courtesy Hannah Winant Mike and Nick Fletcher working at Arlington County Public Health
"It was devastating to see all the loss of life and illness and sickness," Michele recalled to WJLA of COVID's impact.
While caring for patients, Michele watched as the pandemic hit home and started to affect her four sons and their jobs, which ranged from working at a grocery store to construction, the outlet reported.
It wasn't until vaccines recently became available at Arlington Public Health, and the company asked for help running the vaccination sites, that Michele realized how she could help both her employer and sons.
"They were hiring and it just was like, 'Hey, guys, we need you. Here's an opportunity for you to do some good in the community and have jobs that are meaningful,' " she explained to CNN. "And the rest is kind of history."
Courtesy Hannah Winant Michele Fletcher vaccinating her son, Michael
Michael, Kyle, Brendan and Nick all agreed to their mom's suggestion and soon started working at the vaccine site in different positions, the outlet reported.
Michael is in charge of the volunteer coordinator, Kyle works in registration, Brendan helps in registration support and Nick works with on-site logistics, Michele told WJLA.
"It has been a joy to work with them," the mom of seven explained to the outlet. "It's very usual. I can't imagine what other circumstances we would be working together as a team. So, it's really nice."
"It feels sort of like getting ready for school when we were kids," Michael told WJLA of working beside his mom, noting that an additional perk is getting her packed lunches.
Speaking to CNN, Michael, who used to work at a grocery store, added: "[This is] the sort of stuff that I would love to do. And so, when this opportunity came around, I was like, 'Oh, wait, I could actually I could do this right.' It was an easy decision for me."
Courtesy Hannah Winant Three of the four Fletcher sons
As the Fletcher family continues to work side-by-side, they told CNN that they hope their story will encourage others to get vaccinated — and potentially inspire the rest of their family to get involved.
They also want to remind people that a medical degree is not required in order to serve on the COVID frontlines and that opportunities can be found on the Medical Reserve Corps' website.
"First of all, everyone should get vaccinated by their mother. It is the best experience possible," Michael explained to CNN. "The goal every day is just to help people. And I feel very fortunate to have found a way to be a part of that."
RELATED VIDEO: Vaccinated Americans Can Now Go Without Masks in Most Indoor and Outdoor Places, CDC Says
"I think we've been very fortunate that we've been able to be together in the pandemic," he told WJLA.
Added Nick to the local outlet: "My mom is definitely one of the hardest workers I've ever met in my life. She has raised seven children. She administered my vaccine to me, which was really cool."
"Just being here and hearing some of the stories from clients who have come in and lost loved ones or friends and family and seeing how thankful they are," he went on. "That really opened my eyes to see how important it was to get everybody vaccinated."
