Everyday Courage

 

It is International Women’s Day on the 8^th of March and the theme is ‘Everyday Courage’.  This is to honour the courage shown by women in health care. 

Every day over the past year I have seen courage all around.  I have been rotated, redeployed and now seconded – I have been privileged to meet many people outside my usual circle at work and I have loved it. 

Everyone has so much everyday courage, from the obvious, such as nursing covid patients.  It was so scary putting on that PPE, it felt so alien, so tight, altered your usual senses so you had to learn to work in a slightly different way.  It squashes your face and makes deep marks but you were glad of it because there was a time when we didn’t always know we would have it.  To do this repeatedly, perhaps on a different ward than usual, totally out your comfort zone, showed remarkable everyday courage.  I remember this specialist nurse telling me after a long time off after catching covid herself – that she did not know if she could face putting that mask back on again, I remember the look in her eyes as she told me.  She did put the mask on again and faced all her fears.  This might not seem much but I know how much courage that must have taken and how brave she was.

I remember the absolute fear that as a key worker you would catch covid and bring it back to your family that your loved ones may get sick because of you.  We all had our own ‘doffing’ stations at home despite getting changed in work.  Our children were home schooled or like my little girl, went to covid school.  She had to strip and shower when she got in too – how brave our children and families have been and how much everyday courage they have shown.

Most of us have lost loved ones during the pandemic, myself included.  I was on shift when Dad rang to say Grandma had passed away, I was so comforted by my colleagues, some who had lost their own family, some who hadn’t yet and were praying ‘not me next’.  I was permitted a day off to watch the virtual funeral and have to wait patiently for the day when we can all get together and do it properly like grandma deserves.  One of the most inspiring members of staff I know told me how she watched her brother’s funeral on a screen, sat by her mother and her sister and her mother’s finger followed her son’s coffin all the way on the screen.  This member of staff comes into work every day like a sunbeam and radiates positivity despite this and every time I see her I think wow, now she really does show everyday courage.

So much courage has been shown by our shielders, imagen being so vulnerable to this virus you have to stay home, locked away.  It would be understandable if that got you down but the women I’m thinking of has been so supportive to our staff wellbeing, working tirelessly from home, making a huge impact – she has shown remarkable everyday courage.

We have had students opt in!  Opt in to work in a national pandemic!  Wow that is courageous.  One is now qualified and works in our trust.  She is from ‘down south’ so opting in for her meant coming back to empty university halls but she was so determined to help.  I remember getting her a food bag, all she really wanted that she couldn’t find was macaroni pasta and she had no car to go to a big shop.  We had free meals in the hospital at this point in the pandemic and despite being busy we’d always try and send her for breakfast, lunch and dinner so she would get good meals.  Now, she’s probably a great cook but if she was my daughter I’d want someone looking out for her.  I look at her and think the future is bright with newly qualified staff like you.

The wonderful domestics – now these ladies are the backbone of the NHS.  How brave they have been, how hard they have worked and still they have been such comforts for staff and patients.  They are a constant inspiration and have my highest admiration – true everyday courage.  One lady gets the bus and I remember her telling me that was one of the scariest things at that time, public transport.  To then come in to work with all these new rules and requirements, to then go home and care for her mum.  She did it all with a smile, she wanted she told me, ‘to make a difference’.

There are so many more stories but I can’t tell you them all but we do need to continue to thank them all, the women that inspire us and show real courage.

I want you to hold on to that courage that you have developed, I want you to recognise it and be proud of yourself. 

I want you to use that courage going forward. 

I want to thank everyone who has had the courage to say ‘it’s ok not to be ok’.  That have spoken about how they are feeling, that’s brave, and that is courageous.  I want to thank everyone who has listened to others concerns and supported them, well done, that’s brave, and that is courageous.  This will be key as we move on…

Hold on to that courage and that new power, let covid change you for the better.  Go for what you want, have the courage.  Stand up for what you believe, have the courage to speak up.  Have that courage to go for that job interview.  Have the courage to ask for new ways of working that support childcare.  Have the courage to be kind in an often unkind world. 

Happy International Women’s Day for tomorrow!