Watch CBS News

Borrowed RV Gives Nurse On Coronavirus Frontline 'Peace Of Mind' At Home

LANCASTER (CBS) - A local nurse now has a comfortable place to stay as she isolates herself from her family during the coronavirus crisis. Nicholle Reeves is an operating room nurse, and her fiance has a compromised immune system, so last month she moved into her parent's house in Lancaster to avoid possibly bringing the virus home to him.

But then her mom developed a cough. Thankfully it wasn't coronavirus but it was a wake up call. "I was laying in bed just saying there's no way I can keep coming home if I am getting one of my parents sick," Reeves said.

That's when she thought about renting a RV, but that idea quickly fell apart. Reeves said "we started calling around to all these different places, and we were getting quotes of upwards of $5,000 for a month." That was just not possible for Reeves and her fiance Brian. "I can't afford that and my mortgage," she said.

RV coronavirus
Nurse Nicholle Reeves is living in a RV during the coronavirus crisis (Image credit Nicholle Reeves)

So Nicholle went onto Facebook where she came across RVs 4 MDs. It's a group that helps connect RV owners with medical workers looking to keep their families safe during this crisis. Reeves said she found a match by the next day.

"I posted on the site and I think it was less than 12 hours later I got a message," Reeves said. Gail and Lou Siano offered up their RV, free of charge and delivered it to Nicholle's parents' house. "Honestly the peace of mind this is giving me is absolutely unreal," she said.

Aside from keeping her family safe from the virus, the RV also allows Nicholle to enjoy some of the comforts of home, even if it's through a window. "My dog is actually staying with my parents, so I can see him out my windows," said Reeves. "That's huge."

The week she moved into the RV, Reeves said she had her first direct interaction with a COVID-positive patient. She says knowing that she had a place to stay away from her loved ones that week gave her peace of mind. Now that she's in the RV, she still takes precautions. "I come in after work, take off my clothes and I jump right in the shower, put the clothes right outside in a basket after I'm done," she said. "My mom takes them with gloves and puts them right in the wash."

An added perk of living with her parents, home cooked meals, to go. "My mom has been making all my meals for me," said Reeves. "She drops him off on the doorstep and she knocks so that I know that they're there."

It's a home, not too far away from home, and it's all thanks to complete strangers she met online. "I can't give them enough credit. This is an absolutely beautiful RV," Reeves said. "They wanted no money. They wanted nothing."

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.