Health workers are forced to make tremendous personal sacrifices just to help battle the coronavirus pandemic.
One stark example is Nick Dennison, an NHS doctor at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey, who made the “difficult choice” of living in a motorhome away from his family instead of being able to be near his cancer-stricken three-year-old son.
Because Dennison’s son is undergoing chemotherapy, the child is immuno-compromised and more vulnerable to COVID-19. Dennison’s work puts him in greater danger of contracting the virus, hence the sacrifice he has to make to protect his family.
Dennison adds that “the public health message is not getting through” while adding that “a lot of people are going to die.” He is urging people to heed the Government’s advice and practice social distancing.
The UK has logged more than 5,600 confirmed coronavirus cases with 281 dead.
Dennison wrote a moving post on Facebook, saying: “My son turned three years old last week and is six weeks into a three-year chemotherapy program for lymphoma. This virus is a big threat to his life and as I am going to be exposed this week doing my job, I can no longer live at home.
“I have had to make the difficult choice: to do my job and save the lives of people I don’t know, or to be with my son whilst he battles cancer. Alfie hopefully will survive his cancer and chemo, but many people will die from flu. My heart is broken making this decision, but I choose to save the lives of strangers and leave him in the care of my beautiful wife and family.
“Later this week I’ll be moving into a motor home and will not be able to take any further part in his care for the next 6 months.
“Bottom line. SOCIALLY ISOLATE or people die in two weeks.”
It immediately resonated with people who have shared it more than 85,000 times and generated more than 12,000 comments.
Dennison explains in his post that he is a consultant anesthetist but now, all anesthetists are being “re-roled as intensive care doctors.”
“We will be tasked with putting the sickest patients under anesthetic and onto ventilators/life support machines,” he writes. “Each patient will require 10 days+ on a ventilator then may need a temporary tracheostomy to get them off the ventilator.
“The intensive care unit is already full of COVID-19 patients on ventilators (12) with more requiring ventilation every day.
“My hospital usually has 4-10 patients on ventilators and is planning and EXPECTING 80 patients to require ventilation.
“It seems the public health message is not getting through. Let me be clear. A lot of people are going to die. They will mainly be 70 years plus but be in no doubt, 30-40-year-olds will die too.
“Pubs have been busy, offices open, social events happening, kids parties, etc. It all needs to stop. Infected people shed virus and it must be everywhere by now. It is your social responsibility to engage in social distancing. Actions NOW can prevent further disease transmission, ICU admissions, and deaths in 10-20 days.
“Two of my anesthetic/ICU colleagues in other hospitals are off work due to being infected (doing ok). As health care workers, we are now EXPECTING to catch it despite PPE.
“This virus has been transmitted around the globe unchecked and will not stop until it has nowhere to go – social distancing/isolation Or patient death.
“Here ends my public health message.”
Replaced!