A woman in Mansfield hopes the coronavirus crisis can unite her community in a new spirit of celebration.
It started with a parade through the parking lot of Methodist Mansfield to thank health care workers for all they're doing to care for people. Video from that night shows drivers honking horns and shouting "Thank you so much. We appreciate you!"
Cindy Cantero organized the parking pep rally after she recently passed out and went to the ER.
"The stress of this norm," that Cantero says caught up with her. "Having to work, running home and making sure my four school-aged kids are doing their online work, and finding ways to keep them engaged and entertained had taken a toll on me and I passed," she wrote to NBC 5.
Thankfully, she was OK, but the experience left an impression on her.
"The entire staff was pleasant, attentive and caring, but it was sad to see them covered from head to toe in protective gear," but it also "made me see how much they deserved our appreciation."
The parking lot parade evolved into a Facebook group called Celebrate Mansfield where the community can unite by boosting each other's spirits.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
"We wanted to give them a place where we could celebrate each other. We wanted them to celebrate their birthdays, celebrate health care heroes and give the nurses and staff at the hospital a voice, being able to express yourself will help us all get through this," she said.
Cantero who describes herself as an upbeat and positive person may be the chief celebrator in the group.
Photos: Mansfield Woman Aims to Unite Community in Celebration Amid Crisis
She's a married, working mom of four teenagers and a preschooler.
Her husband is also in an essential business and still working.
Yet, just like her family of seven is finding a way to make it all work, she believes we're all in this together - and that Mansfield can be an example of how to lift each other up and keep strong.
