KAAL-TV Created: May 10, 2021 10:21 PM (ABC 6 News) - Health care workers are making tremendous sacrifices to keep people alive amid the pandemic. In the past year, they've put themselves and their families at risk of contracting COVID-19, and worked long hours at overwhelmed hospitals. Senior leadership at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center held a ceremony Monday to commemorate their own staff's work. Sometimes, difficult times in our lives force us to rely on each other. It's what Emily Orton and Linda Latham had to do. "That's what kept me going was just these amazing people," Orton said. That and, "Praying. [We] prayed a lot," Latham said.