Raleigh writer's song celebrates health care workers ahead of planned flyover salute

Abby Schiller is a Raleigh singer-songwriter. She’s a rising sophomore at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Now Schiller hopes to raise up health care workers in the fight against COVID-19.

Schiller just released a song and video, "Hero To Me," a message of thanks and support for those seeing the affects of the virus firsthand.

"I hope all heath care workers hear the song and know how much everybody thanks them, especially here in the Triangle," she said.

UNC Health asked Schiller to write the song, something she says she was able to do in about 90 minutes. In the song’s video, doctors, nurses and other frontline workers stream by saying their names.

"When writing the song," Schiller explains of the process, "I was trying to think, 'What is a hero?' and I couldn’t find an exact word to describe how I’m feeling about all this, so I thought what better way than to actually name them."

One of those named and featured in the video is Dr. Amir Barzin, a physician testing and working with patients suspected of having COVID-19.

"Everyone is working around the clock," Barzin says of himself and coworkers, "working really hard, so for them to get recognized is really important and very valuable."

Health care workers will also be recognized Thursday, May 14, in a Frontline Flyover by the Bandit Flight Team. They will fly over seven area hospitals, carefully coordinated so that hospital workers have the opportunity to see the display. WRAL will feature the gesture in the 7 p.m. newscast that evening.

Schiller says her song is a message of love and of hope.

"I see people struggling right now," she said, "but I also see hope, and that if we support each other, we will come out better at the end of this."