A unique Mother’s Day
Some superheroes don’t wear capes. They just put on protective gear, multiple layers of masks, hand gloves and bid goodbye to their families, to play their part in this fight against Covid-19. In the face of such adversities, doctors, nurses and health workers — who are also mothers — are staying away from their children to serve the society.
Nursing officer Rosemary Georgees has been away from her family since a week. She says, “I have two kids at home and they miss me a lot. I deal directly with coronavirus patients so I can’t even go back home.” Adding that her duty lies with the country, she says, “If we don’t go to the hospital, who will? I video call my kids daily.” Being away from their children is proving difficult for such frontline warriors, though it has become a necessity. Nursing officer Tripti Negi says, “We are putting up at a hotel. We need to take care of patients first then think of our families. It has been so long since I saw them.” Dr Melissa Rodrigues says that her kids have learnt to adapt to her being away for long hours. “I have this fear all the time that I might carry something back home from the clinic. I take extra care. My kids want to give me a hug but I don’t allow them,” she says.
Home quarantined lab technician Premshy Shyam Raj is also maintaining distance from her 13-year-old daughter. “I can always quit but I choose to serve the society. This is the new normal now. My life’s purpose is my daughter, but my duty to the country is important,” she says.