NURSE REUNITED WITH KIDS AT LAST
A NURSE has been reunited with her three children after being separated from them for 13 weeks while working on the coronavirus frontline.
Amy Leigh Davies, from Bridgend, made the difficult decision back in March to separate from her three children – Josh, 15, Sasskia, 14, and sevenyear-old Charlie – while she worked in the operating theatre at the Princess of Wales Hospital.
Her job as a surgical nurse meant she was working tirelessly around patients who had tested positive for Covid-19 and, while she realised she couldn’t eliminate the risk of catching the virus herself, she could protect her children by living apart from them.
Amy’s sister, Carrie Watkins, who lives in Maesteg, had been told by the Welsh Government that she had to shield for medical reasons and offered for Josh, Sasskia, and Charlie to stay with her.
After 13 weeks Amy has now been reunited with her children.
“It has been really difficult for them and for me,” said Amy, 35.
“It’s not something you ever think you will have to go through, but I didn’t want to put them at risk, we don’t know enough about Covid-19 and I wanted to keep them safe.
“I had an inkling we were going to go into lockdown, so as soon as my sister offered I knew it was the right thing to do.
“My sister has been amazing – I’m so thankful for what she has done.
“We had made rough arrangements and had loosely spoken about it but my sister was told she had to shield and she immediately asked if I wanted the children to stay with her so they wouldn’t be exposed to Covid-19.
“It was a difficult decision, but I know it was the right thing to do. I wanted to keep them safe and it also made it easier in terms of childcare.
“Luckily I didn’t end up working longer hours but obviously we had all said we would if we were needed.
“They went up two days before lockdown and we didn’t know how long it would be for. It was really hard but they understood.”
As of June 9 Wales’ death toll of people with lab-confirmed coronavirus since the outbreak began stood at 1,410. Of those 304 were in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board area, which covers Bridgend.
But on June 9, as coronavirus cases in Wales continued to fall and lockdown restrictions are beginning to be eased, Amy and her three children were reunited.
Amy, who qualified as a surgical nurse in November, said: “The hardest thing for me has been that I’ve felt a bit lost because I’m a single mother to three children working full-time. I’m constantly busy and on my feet. I’m a bit like a machine and then suddenly it went to being just me at home with the dog.
“We were constantly keeping in touch virtually through FaceTime and we have a group chat, but it just wasn’t the same as having them home with me.
“It’s been really hard for them – we’re all really close and I think they’ve missed me and they’ve missed the routine we have.”
Josh said what he missed most was spending time with his mum.
“I missed the normal things like waking up on the weekends and planning what we’re going to do,” he said. “But we know why we had to do it – mum is like a superhero to us.”
Seven-year-old Charlie said that as well as “cwtches” with his mum, he also missed spending time with the family dog Benji.
Amy said: “They were really excited when I told them they were coming home. It was amazing when I saw them. As soon as we got home my son walked the dog – I think he missed him more than me – and then my youngest has pulled out all of his toys to play with them.
“Tonight we’re having a little bit of party food to welcome them back home and we’ll put our PJs on and watch a film and catch up on 13 weeks of cuddles.”