5 April 2020

Heroines

Yesterday I shed a tear or two when I heard the news about two British nurses fighting COVID 19. Yes my friends, you guessed it. Separately, in the course of their work, they both somehow managed to contract the virus and then later died. They were both in their thirties and each of them was a mother to three children. That's Aimee O'Rourke above and that's Areema Nasreen below.

It's bloody tragic and I wish there was someone we could blame but there isn't. It happened and now they are gone. Bloody, bloody virus!

Aimee worked at a hospital in Margate, Kent. Her ward manager Julie Gammon said of Aimee's death, ""It was an honour to be able to be with her and to provide some comfort." Aimee's oldest daughter called her an "angel". 

Areema worked at a hospital in Walsall in the English Midlands. At first she was a housekeeper in the hospital but being there inspired her to gain a nursing qualification. The head of her health trust, Richard Beeken, said, ""She always said that she was so blessed to have the role of a nurse which she absolutely loved because she wanted to feel like she could make a difference - and you did, Areema, you will be very sadly missed." 

I know it's not much but on behalf of the British people, I thank these brave women with all my heart.

49 comments:

  1. Mothers with three (presumably fairly young) children shouldn't put themselves, or be put, into such obvious danger. I feel the same, strongly, about those women who, by their job description and "in the line of duty", go into warzones, be it as reporters, journalists, photographers, only to have their children (half) orphaned.

    U

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    1. Ursula, thats a noble sentiment but if all the mothers of young children stopped nursing there would be no nurses left and how would you solve that problem?

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    2. Nurses do their job, even if they have children. We don't usually get the choice to not care for patients. And what Kylie said, there would be no nurses if only childless women nursed.

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    3. It's the difference between "dedication" and "just a job". Few go into nursing thinking it's the latter.

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    4. Kylie, Lilicedar, Coppa's Girl, I hear you.

      However, and I feel strongly about this, there are certain jobs you don't do if you do have children. Or rather, there are certain dangers you do NOT expose yourself to if you do have children. Do what you like, follow your star, dedicate yourself to your calling but DO NOT have children - or change track when you do. Admittedly, what I just said more applicable to the war reporter of my initial comment than your normal every day nurse now being drawn into a virus disaster.

      If I were in charge I'd still send nurses with young kids home to "self isolate" and, I don't know, mobilize those who only risk their own lives rather than the happiness and wellbeing of their young offspring.

      Kylie, as an aside to your comment, mothers of young children shouldn't be working anyway. Regardless of whether they are trained to diffuse landmines, report from the front or fight disease. But that's a different subject.

      U

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    5. It is a moral dilemma that's for sure. Aimee and Areema's children will be hurting for the rest of their lives. But it's like a ship going down - every man (& woman) to the pump!

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    6. If you were in charge you wouldn't be able to send nurses with young children home or your wards would be empty. Who do you think works in emergency and ICU? Young nurses because they have the energy required to do such a demanding job.

      As for young mothers not working, wow. What about single parents? I was a single parent until my son was five. I didn't have a choice. Divorced women? Single parents? Widows? How are these women supposed to support themselves and their families?

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    7. Lilycedar, of course, if you have to work you have to work. Single parent, divorced, widowed. As you say. Needs must.

      However, if my mother, despite a roof over our head and food on the table, had sacrificed herself/was sacrificed for the greater good, leaving me or, more to the point, my much younger siblings well, motherless, I'd have been even more aggrieved than I would have been at her "natural" demise. It all depends, big sigh, where your priorities are. Sure, fighting disease at the front line may make you a hero (how romantic) but you'll soon be forgotten where your child/ren won't [forget].

      It's a difficult subject, fraught on so many fronts. To put it simply, if I hadn't had the means and support of father-of-son to look after my offspring I would not have had a child. Frantic nest building or not.

      One may spin the subject further: You know, fathers drafted, going to war, whether they wanted to or not. What's a medal in absence of your, now dead, father? Hero? Bloody hell. Give me a conscious objector any time. Though, most likely, they were shunned, even shot by their own people.

      U

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  2. It's tragic when frontline workers are cut down by the virus.

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    1. Your wife was a nurse. Thank heavens she retired long ago.

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  3. They are, indeed, heroines. Martyrs even.

    I hope their families are well loved by their communities well into the future

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    1. Martyrs yes. I hadn't thought of that but you are right Kylie.

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  4. Oh, that's devastating.

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  5. Heartbreaking and frightening. A patient was coughing in my face on Friday, I had to hold him in place while the doc was trying to do a biopsy on the patient. I didn't wear a mask because I didn't think he'd be coughing. He didn't mean to cough and I'm sure it's his cancer but a part of me is nervous.

    Those poor families. I worry about dying but my kids are grown at least. Katie has another guardian. I'm taking an upgrading course for nurses so that we can help out with patients on ventilators. Who the hell knows what will happen.

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    1. Thank you Lilycedar for doing the work you do.

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    2. Yes. Thank you Lily and take more precautions than you would usually do!

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  6. This breaks my heart and we are hearing it far too often these days. These are brave, wonderful and loving women who dedicate their lives to others. More and more I am hearing about the death of such special people. And not just the doctors and nurses who put themselves on the front lines, but also the grocery store workers, delivery people and everyone else out there that keep on working because their job provides us a necessity. I'm starting to hear of friends and family of people I know dying from this virus and that brings it too close to home. This is all such a nightmare.

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    1. If feels like war but there are no fighter jets or booming guns. All we can do is hope.

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  7. A third nurse has since died from the virus.

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    1. Nurse John Alagos (aged 23), a London nurse, died at home after a very short battle with The Virus. We all salute him.

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  8. A friend of mine who lives in the Bristol area wrote to me yesterday; his partner is a midwife and one of her colleagues at the hospital is fighting for her life in intensive care. It is indeed by no means only the elderly and those with pre-conditions who die, although their risks are higher.
    Looking at the stats this morning for my town's district, we have now 949 confirmed cases and 18 deaths.

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    1. So far the statistics from Germany look better than in most western countries. Let's hope it stays that way.

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  9. I worry for my son Matt, he has a family and I know that although he willingly goes into work as a nursing sister he is also worried that he may take the virus back home. He has the full protection and is working with people on ventilators. I must admit that at first I thought this was nothing worse that flu but he warned me that it was going to be bad.
    Tom and myself have got to 74 and 80 years old and never thought we would have to deal with something like this. I remember the fear in the 60's that there could possibly be a nuclear war but this is almost worse as I am worried that it will keep recurring.
    We can only keep separate and positive and hope it all blows over.
    Briony
    x

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    1. If I believed in God I would pray for Matt. You are right to suggest that this is a bit like being in a nuclear war. Let's hope that we blog people are immune.

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  10. Reading about these tragic deaths and seeing their young faces should send a message to all those people out there who still insist in ignoring the stay at home rules. Unfortunately I doubt they will listen and this will eventually lead to more needless waste of lives.
    I also read yesterday of five London Transport bus drivers/controllers who have recently died from the virus.

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    1. It is increasingly obvious that this isn't all about the over 70's with underlying health conditions. The Virus could take any of us. It's like the obverse of The National Lottery.

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  11. Nursing has always been risky, I suppose, but these people really are on the front lines now. We owe them so much.

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    1. You have to be very brave to nurse COVID 19 victims - even if you are lucky enough to be properly kitted out. Yes we do owe them so much.

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    1. She is a practice nurse in GP's surgery. There is some risk but nothing like being on the frontline in a hospital. Thanks for asking Tasker.

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  13. My daughter has just been switched to working as a doctor in Intensive Care for the foreseeable future and I am very worried for her, as this virus does not seem to discriminate between young and old, or healthy and unhealthy. I just hope that, when all this blows over, the hard work and dedication of NHS workers will be recognised and rewarded.

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    1. If I were religious I would pray for Kay. I know how very precious she is to you ADDY.

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  14. This puts stark terror in my heart and you know why.
    Damn.
    I wish their families peace.

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    1. I am aware that you have been feeling all of this more than most and I apologise for adding to the weight Mary.

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  15. I was just about to ask about Shirley but then I saw that Tasker beat me to it. I'm glad to hear that she's not on the "front lines" as you say but I'm sure it's still very, very worrying. You both be very careful, okay?

    An office manager at one of the hospitals where Gregg has an aquarium texted him the other day about keeping the tank going while he can't go up there, and she mentioned in passing that the local media is keeping very quiet about just how bad things are getting at the hospital. As of yesterday our state had 1917 positive cases and 40 deaths. Florence county reported 35 of those positives and 5 of the deaths. We're just getting started, too, I'm afraid.

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    1. We will be as careful as possible Jennifer. You and Gregg do the same. But the main question is this: Is sweet, little Marco okay?

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  16. Modern day Florence Nightingales. Saints even.

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    1. After this, we will remember them exactly like those who fell in wars. With reverence and gratitude.

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  17. By the time this has finished, we will never be able to begin to repay all the medical workers, be they doctors, nurses - or ancillary workers - let's not forget them. We all owe them so much now, and it will always be so.
    Next time doctors or nurses threaten to strike because of their low pay and long hours, we should remember how they worked so ceaselessly during this pandemic. We should support them to the hilt.

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    1. I am with you 100% CG. As brave as WWI soldiers going "over the top". At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.

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  18. These modern health care workers seem like Florence Nightengale and the Crimean War, to me. She said she never gave nor took excuse. And she died so young too, from all her work. I clap with you for all of them.

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    1. Sorry to be pedantic Joanne but Florence Nightingale died at the age of ninety.

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  19. A modern day tragedy.. who would have thought!
    So, so sad for these wonderful professionals doing their utmost to be struck down and for their families to lose their loved wife, mother and probably daughter - daughter in law, sister perhaps. So many people dying and we are all fighting an unseen enemy. Take care people - stay safe.

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  20. And the message as always goes out stay at home and protect these brave people. Having experienced the kindness of both nurses and doctors recently I would fight to the death for the NHS, we should at all times protect it and its workers.

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  21. It's stories like this and so many, many others of young people dying on the front lines that so sad. I don't even know what to say.

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