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Wellness April 28, 2020

'Am I doing the right thing?': Doctors talk parenting 1-year-old while on front lines

WATCH: This mom has helped hundreds of people per day get tested for COVID-19

Over the last six weeks, Peggy and James Ji are like so many parents across the country juggling caring for a child at home while working full time.

But unlike most Americans, the Los Angeles-based couple are both doctors working on the front lines of caring for COVID-19 patients at local hospitals.

"Never before in my life have I worried about our career choice affecting family members," Peggy told "Good Morning America."

PHOTO: Doctors, Peggy Ji and James Ji, pictured in an undated handout photo, have been balancing family life and COVID-19 patients in Los Angeles.
Courtesy Peggy Ji
Doctors, Peggy Ji and James Ji, pictured in an undated handout photo, have been balancing family life and COVID-19 patients in Los Angeles.
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Both both work in emergency medicine. They asked to withhold the name of the hospitals where they work due to privacy concerns.

Doctors by day, but parents all the time, the Jis have a 1-year-old daughter and made the difficult decision to keep the family together versus self-quarantining even with the risk of coronavirus exposure, Peggy said.

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"We have a daughter at home and we have an [elderly] family member who is a caretaker living with us as well. I am thinking, 'Am I doing the right thing for myself? For my family?' in addition to wanting to do the right thing for my patients," Peggy said.

"We decided it wasn’t in our best interest to move away from our daughter ... I just couldn’t imagine not coming home and seeing her and I think she needs us as much as we need her."

According to James, the family is taking extra safety measures when coming home with a thorough sanitization routine.

PHOTO: Doctors, Peggy Ji and James Ji, pictured in an undated handout photo, have been balancing family life and COVID-19 patients while raising a 1-year-old daughter in Los Angeles.
Courtesy Peggy Ji
Doctors, Peggy Ji and James Ji, pictured in an undated handout photo, have been balancing family life and COVID-19 patients while raising a 1-year-old daughter in Los Angeles.
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Still, the couple decided that they should get a will "just in case," James said.

In a moving Instagram post, Dr. Peggy Ji shared a special thank-you message to civilians everywhere, who are making the choice to stay home amid the coronavirus pandemic.

View this post on Instagram

We are all in this together. Thank you for doing your part so that we can make the world a safer place for our future. . . I work in the emergency department, and my husband takes care of patients admitted inside the hospital. While some may call us “frontline” as healthcare workers, we are more like the last line of defense. When all else fails we are here to fight COVID. But we can prevent overloading the system and avoid getting to the hospital! Everyone - including non medical civilians are the “frontline” because they can make the first difference by social distancing and staying at home. You guys out there really make an impact and although you’ll never know the details and see the proof - We will see it all pan out in the next coming weeks. Thank you. Let’s keep it up! . . . My hope is that we can spread this message beyond the medical community I’m in. Tag and share with your friends on the “frontline” of this fight against COVID - especially ones not working in healthcare right now!

A post shared by Peggy Ji, MD (@pegsfordays) on

"While some may call us 'frontline' as healthcare workers, we are more like the last line of defense," Peggy wrote on April 3 in her Instagram post. "Everyone - including non-medical civilians are the 'frontline,' because they can make the first difference by social distancing and staying at home."

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"I really see a lot of messages of people supporting each other and encouraging people to stay home and I honestly am just so thankful that everyone out there is doing their part," said Peggy. "I'm doing my best and I’m doing what I can do right and [people staying home] are doing the right things for us."

Ultimately, the Jis hope that this moment and her message can turn into a lesson for their daughter.

"[When she grows up], she will be faced with something else in her life and I hope that she recognizes that it’s okay to be scared … but just do something and take action and thank the other people who are helping you," said Peggy.