Shelby Delaney, an ICU nurse at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, turned to her Stephen Curry jersey in order to find strength while caring for patients affected by COVID-19. She needed to channel her “inner Warrior” and felt that this jersey would help her accomplish this goal. Curry was informed of her choice, and he reached out via FaceTime to thank Delaney for her efforts.
“I love it,” Curry said in a video that was later posted on Delaney’s Facebook page. “I can’t thank God enough for what you’re doing and just the sacrifice, the selflessness and the way everybody’s coming together. Thank you so much for what you do, your heart and the inspiration you provide for everybody.” According to the Bay Area News Group‘s Julia Prodis Sulek, Curry has long been Delaney’s favorite player. She reportedly owns 10 Curry jerseys.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Delaney was one of the first nurses in Oakland to volunteer to care for those affected by the coronavirus, but she later felt “powerless and defeated.” In order to combat this feeling, she turned to her Curry jersey. Delaney wore this piece of Golden State Warriors merchandise under her scrubs while caring for patients. She also wore a pair of Curry 6s while FaceTiming with the NBA star.
“I wanted to thank you for how much you inspired me,” Delaney told Curry in the video, “especially when I first started my job here, it’s a really steep learning curve, you have two people that you’re trying to make sure they don’t die on shift, and a lot of tough stuff going on with family. There were times I wanted to quit, give up. … That’s when I started wearing the jersey. That was like, just my way of kind of gathering my strength, reminding myself I’ve got this.”
The connection was originally made after Delaney made a Facebook post about wearing the Curry jersey to the hospital. This post drew considerable attention and prompted the Bay Area News Group to reach out to the Warriors. Curry then decided to personally contact Delaney and thank her.
Curry responded to this message by thanking Delaney for her ongoing work during the coronavirus pandemic. As he explained, his job is fun, but “more people need to know what goes on in your world.” He continued by saying that everyone is thinking of Delaney and the other medical professionals, as well as praying for them during this difficult time.
