OUR ANGELS OF THE E.R.

DOCTOR Shahina Braganza’s raw account of the trauma friends and colleagues endured as they tried to save the life of nurse Lisa Davey last month is both inspiring and harrowing.

The emergency room specialist depicts the diverse skill and emotions as frontline staff pulled together to treat one of their own after the Arundel woman was found unconscious in her driveway.

After doctors and nurses rushed to stablise Ms Davey, Dr Braganza reflected in her blog the reality and toll of their work.

“I return to the ED, in which the only trace of what has just happened is in the staff that were on the evening shift, but are staying back ‘to help out a bit’,” she wrote. “Their faces are drawn with exhaustion and their shoulders are drooped.

“The next day, senior staff come in on days off to support the ED family ... With ravaged and tearful faces, our team members hold hands, give each other hugs, and sit close. We share stories about our colleague – that she is a wonderful nurse; that she is funny and quirky; that she is resilient; that she has been so happy in recent times. We share stories about our ED family – how, somehow, we always manage to pull through, logistically and emotionally ...”

Dr Braganza’s first-hand account of Ms Davey’s plight is a stark insight into the life of a frontline emergency worker.

The blog reinforces the professionalism, ability and unparalleled care our doctors and nurses provide in ensuring the sick are treated with the utmost skill and decency.

Ms Davey’s final hours are emotional and sad – an angel who could not be saved herself despite the best love and attention of those who respected her most.

Unfortunately, for those frontline staff, her’s is not an isolated case.

Like police and fire fighters, emergency staff in our hospitals deal with society’s worst sights every day and night.

They are unsung heroes who are trained to push emotions aside to save lives.

But they are also humans with big hearts and we should not forget that.

Even in adversity as we deal with the pain of losing a loved one, we must remember the words of people such as Dr Braganza.

The jobs taken on by emergency staff come at a cost to themselves. They are special people and we are deeply blessed to be able to call them Gold Coasters.