I gave 患者s my all, but didn’t see my son for months: As we search for health heroes, the mum who put her 職業 first

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Do you know a health hero? The Daily Mail, in 共同 with eBay and NHS Charities Together, wants you to 指名する special people in the health care 部門 who have made a difference to your life, or to a loved one’s life. Seven finalists will be honoured with an all-expenses-paid trip to London to …に出席する an awards 儀式 at the end of the year. The 勝利者 will receive a £5,000 holiday. To make a 指名／任命, fill in the form below. Here, ANGELA EPSTEIN tells one 指名された人’s story . . .?

Danielle 城 couldn’t look more at home as she moves between Covid-19 患者s on her 26-bed 区, listening with compassion, 元気づける up the anxious and trying to make everyone feel more comfortable.

‘Nobody loves the hospital experience, and that’s why visits are 普通は so important,’ she says. ‘But 非，不，無 of our 患者s has that and, 一方／合間, they’ve been 診断するd with the ウイルス which can be scary and 孤立するing. They often just want to talk, which feels like the most natural thing to do ― I don’t think it makes me special.’

Danielle 城, 27, (pictured) was 指名するd for The Daily Mail NHS health hero Awards, by?Donna Way, 55, who is the 臨床の matron at the 王室の Hampshire 郡 Hospital in Winchester

Donna Way, 55, the 臨床の matron on Danielle’s 区 at the 王室の Hampshire 郡 Hospital in Winchester, 同意しないs. She says Danielle, a ‘国内の’ whose 職業 is to keep the 区 spotless and hygienic, has an almost magical touch with the sick: ‘Recently, we had a gentleman who was very 苦しめるd. There weren’t family members to console him and staff were busy. Danielle 静めるd him 負かす／撃墜する. The difference when she left his 味方する was remarkable.

‘We are all so busy …に出席するing to 臨床の care, we 港／避難所’t time to sit with everyone. But Danielle, on 最高の，を越す of her 義務s, takes on a motherly 役割. It’s scary for 患者s, 孤立するd in bays surrounded by people whose 直面するs are covered. Danielle makes it normal.’

Her strength is all the more remarkable because she has had to 孤立する from her ten-year-old son, Jay. The boy has been staying with his father, from whom Danielle is separated, a four-hour 運動 away in Norwich.

Realising she would be exposed to Covid-19 at work, the 27-year-old made an enormous personal sacrifice and agreed with Jay’s father, who 作品 from home, that he would look after their son until 制限s were 解除するd. ‘I th ought it might be for a few weeks, but as the weeks became months, it has been really 堅い,’ says Danielle.

‘It has been horrible, as it’s the longest we’ve ever been apart, and it was 特に difficult on my days off. I FaceTime him 絶えず, but with children it gets to the point when they’re too busy to 雑談（する）. And what is there to say? He just 手配中の，お尋ね者 to play or get on with his school work, which is wonderful, but it didn’t stop me 行方不明の him terribly.’

Danielle (pictured) who やめる her 職業 as a beautician in February, was 急落（する），激減（する）d into the 大混乱 of Covid-19 when she began training as a nurse?

It’s surprising to find out that Danielle has worked for the NHS for only a few months. She やめる her 職業 as a beautician in February and is now working に向かって training as a nurse.

‘I’ve always 手配中の，お尋ね者 to work in the NHS and one day I thought, “I have to do this. I’m not getting any younger and I can’t resist this pull any longer,” ’ she says.

The タイミング was 重要な; Danielle was 急落（する），激減（する）d into the 大混乱 of Covid-19 soon after starting work, and quickly took on extra caring 義務s far beyond her 職業 description.

Donna says Danielle’s strong work ethic and caring way with 患者s ― and staff ― have made her a 決定的な member of the team. It is for this 推論する／理由 that she has 指名するd her as a Health Hero.

‘From day one, her 出資／貢献 has been 模範的な,’ says Donna. ‘I’ve been in nursing for 31 years, and Danielle really is special ― which, considering she has only been in the health 環境 for a short time, is astonishing.

‘Danielle spends time with 患者s, chatting, bringing cups of tea and asking about their lives. No 訪問者s are 許すd, so 患者s are 行方不明の 親族s. But she’s 直感的に ― she can tell when someone seems upset and makes them feel better.’

Donna said she would be proud to have Danielle as one of the nurses on her team. Pictured: Danielle and Donna?

Nursing is something Danielle has always 手配中の，お尋ね者 to do, ‘but 存在 a 選び出す／独身 mother , I couldn’t fit in a degree and the 転換s 伴う／関わるd in nursing, so I went into beauty therapy. I learned so much about talking to 患者s from doing that 職業.’

Danielle 収容する／認めるs that the 役割 isn’t without its challenges: ‘If a 患者 buzzes, you have to get gowned up, find out what they want, de-gown and leave the room, then do it again. Not that I mind. What is important to me is the 関係 with my 患者s.’

She is now hoping to 熟考する／考慮する nursing once her son starts 第２位 school. It’s something Donna fully 是認するs: ‘I’d be proud to have Danielle as one of my nursing team,’ she says.

Having been finally ― all too 簡潔に ― 再会させるd with her son, Danielle is 辞職するd to living apart from him for now.

‘When I saw him at his dad’s, I couldn’t stop hugging him. He is settled there so he’s going to stay a few more weeks.’

She 追加するs: ‘He’s been wonderful about all this and is proud of what I do. I just want to do the best for my son and the NHS.’