Duty calling on the all-rounder within O’Hanlon
IN A sporting career spent juggling her commitments, Caroline O’Hanlon’s focus is now committed to a game of life and death. For over a decade she has somehow combined a semi-professional netball career in the UK and intercounty one here with Armagh, while committing to her professional life as a general practice doctor.
But if her sporting world has shrivelled in the face of a deadly virus, the void left behind has been easily filled by an occupation that, to the outside world in these desperate times, has taken on the feel of a vocation.
Although based as a GP in Newry, she is ready to step forward in the battle against Covid-19.
‘We know from watching what has happened in Italy and Spain, GPs will end up on the frontline. There is not much doubt about that, it is just whether that will be in hospitals or at these Covid centres that have been established,’ she insists.
As the dreaded surge approaches, the scale of what faces healthcare staff can only be imagined.
‘We are doing a lot of our communication on social media, and a lot of our contacts on WhatsApp are doctors so it is hard not to see the pictures that are coming out and the horror stories that you hear on it.
‘We just have to minimise that because it is a natural thing to feel apprehensive and fearful of the unknown. We don’t want to get into that panic.
‘Obviously at work, you won’t make decisions and you won’t be functioning at your best in that state of mind so we are, as Leo Varadkar reminded us in his iconic speech, trying to distance ourselves from social media and now I would even limit the amount of news I would watch to once a day because you don’t want to be becoming obsessed with this.
‘Some things are sensationalised and can be scary to watch so it is trying to concentrate on what we can do, remain positive, look after our mental health because this is a very challenging time for everyone, and not just medical professionals.
‘At least our job is up and running so we have something to concentrate on, it is very difficult for people who are used to being busy to be told to sit at home and not go about your daily business.’
The frantic rhythm of her life up to a couple of weeks ago has been silenced for now.
While holding down a job, she played for four different teams – Superleague champions Manchester Thunder, her local netball team Larkfield as well as togging out for her local club St Patrick’s Carrickcruppen and Armagh.
It felt like she worked off a bleeper rather than a diary. She worked three days a week as a doctor – Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, while flying out to Manchester every Tuesday to train that night and the following morning.
She trained with the Armagh footballers every Thursday night, flew back across the Irish Sea on a Saturday to play for Manchester Thunder and was back in time on Sunday to play a league game for Armagh.
The sudden halt to such activity has been a jolt but she hasn’t had much time to think about it, having returned to five days a week in the surgery with the likelihood of a lot more hours to be worked in the weeks ahead.
‘I don’t dwell on it. I look back on the last week and I feel I have nothment, ing to show for it and yet I have felt awful busy.
‘It is just different and you really do miss it (her sporting life). It reinforces how valuable it is to your physical and mental health. At the moment, your priorities are elsewhere and it certainly puts it into perspective in that it’s a hobby, and the health of my patients, friends and family is my priority.
‘You just miss the normality of it, of being able to go wherever you want, go and play a match. Y o u underestimate how much value there is in training with a group of people and having that bit of craic with other people.
‘It is that distraction from work and then the competitiveness of it and the safety of being in an environment like that.
‘You really underestimate all that and if anything comes out of this is that we value all those things in our life we used to take for granted and how important those things are.
‘The GAA has been brilliant in terms of supporting the Governin terms of backing social distancing and they made it easy for the Government in that they were very quick to suspend things, offer up facilities and provide community supports through their clubs who have reached out to the vulnerable.
‘I am proud to be a member of an association that is doing all that.’
She has been a pioneer in women’s sport, having won three AllStars and also became the first non-Cork player to be named player of the year in 2014.
Her impact on netball has been every bit as great, perhaps even greater. She has witnessed the growth of the game at first hand – Sky’s coverage of it and the exposure last year’s world cup enjoyed taking it to a new level in terms of support.
‘The World Cup was last year in July and netball had massive momentum because it had a huge profile.
‘As a result there were massive crowds at games; we played four rounds of the Superleague and most of them were sell-outs, with up to 9,000 in the opening games.’
Aged 35 now, her enthusiasm remains constant, but she will still indulge in an end-of-year-review, determining if she will take her Armagh career into a 20th season next year and sign up for another year with Manchester Thunder.
Whatever decision she makes, her legacy is already cemented.
In her role as captain of the Northern Ireland netball team, she was chosen as the flag bearer for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia.
In a community where flags tend to divide as much as unite, it was tough decision.
‘Obviously, I consider myself to be Irish but I am from Northern Ireland and I have represented Northern Ireland since I was 16. I made that decision consciously, I am very proud of representing them. ‘Ididn’t hesitate even though there was a small part of me a little concerned about how that would be perceived. However, I was overwhelmed by messages of support from home and I am from South Armagh, but again I am proud of that. The support I had in my community was overwhelming.’
And now serving that community in a different role, she is pleading for that support again.
‘We will get through this but for now, the best support we can get as healthcare workers is if people stay at home.’
‘YOU VALUE ALL THOSE THINGS IN LIFE YOU TOOK FOR GRANTED’