Sister Sarah Link lives with her husband in a mobile home near their home. Many healthcare workers around the world have made the difficult decision to live away from their families during the coronavirus pandemic. Some have moved into hotels, while others have moved into mobile homes on wheels. Four people told the BBC why they decided to do it.
Like many medical workers, Shani Stoker was forced to leave her home during the pandemic. Shani Stoker, a 50-year-old nurse from Worcestershire, has two children – an 11-year-old son with an autoimmune disease and a 13-year-old daughter. After hospitals in England faced an influx of Covid-19 patients, her daughter moved in with relatives. The nurse herself decided to stay for a while in a mobile home parked in the driveway of her home. “I really want to hug my kids. My son has been through so much this past year. But I had to do it to protect my son. Yes, it’s not easy, but I’m willing to do this to help others recover,” she said.
The exterminator lives in a mobile home to protect his son. “My daughter is currently staying with my niece, so she is safe, but my son is undergoing treatment, so I cannot send him anywhere. Nobody knows how he will react. It is a rare disease. The stoker, who works as an infectious disease nurse, said she lives in a mobile home in spartan conditions. “I have connected some electrical appliances, I have an electric stove, there is a toilet and a sink for washing hands, various other useful things, and a double bed,” she said.
My son has Stoker’s autoimmune disease. “First, I used to sleep on the couch at home, so my son had to stay in his room all the time, but children cannot live like that. When I’m not there, he can move around the house. “I don’t know, what if I bring something home? I don’t want to infect my husband, he has to take care of our son”. Stoker says that despite the difficulties, they have formed a close-knit team of colleagues who support each other and maintain a positive attitude.
Sara Link decided to leave home for the sake of her elderly mother. Sara Link is a junior nurse at the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Birmingham. The day the quarantine was announced, she and her husband bought and moved into a mobile home so that Sara’s mother could continue to live in her cottage. She has worked in the healthcare industry for 17 years, while her husband, Gary, is a fish dealer. He continues to deliver orders to customers during the quarantine. The facilities in the mobile home are very basic, so the neighbors gave the couple a key to their garden so they could use the shower and toilet there. “Mom cooks food for us. She leaves it in the garage on paper plates and we pick it up in the RV,” Link said. “Fortunately, we have a washer and dryer in our garage, so we can do the laundry there. I disinfect everything afterwards and we also have a heater to dry the clothes. But it’s still very cold, sometimes at night I can see my breath coming out.
Sarah Link and her husband decorated their mobile home, earning praise from their neighbors. She added, “Our RV faces the front door of the cabin, so my mom and I wave to each other. “We are very close. My father died when I was 13 years old. He was only 50 years old. So we have very close relationships in our family and we all help each other. So when all this happened, the first thing I thought about was how to protect my mom. At least this way I can still see her. It seems as if there is a window in front of me through which I can see my past life, but I cannot reach it. It’s very, very difficult, and I often cry.
Jessica Atoklo’s husband is in a high-risk group, so she was temporarily forced to live apart from him. Midwife Jessica Atoklo spent two weeks living in hotels because of her work in Birmingham hospitals. Although she does not work with critically ill patients, Jessica volunteered to help fill the shortage of specialists in other areas. “My husband is in the high-risk group. I didn’t want to come home after working in the hospital, where you interact closely with patients,” she said. “The possibility of living separately was a great relief for me, I could commute to work without worrying so much. But I have a 12-year-old son and I felt ashamed of having to live apart from him. Atoklo wrote on Twitter: “The hotel parking lot is full of cars of medical workers who have left their families to take care of people all over Birmingham.”
Atoko had to wash his uniform by hand in the hotel bathtub between shifts. “Since I was living in a hotel, I was able to work tirelessly. I asked for as many shifts as I could get, and I worked them all, because what’s the point of having a day off if you’re just sitting in a hotel room?” Now she has returned to her usual role of assisting other medical professionals, but not working directly with patients. This has allowed her to return to her home. “It’s such a relief. I was getting more and more irritated, I really wanted to go home.
Ashley Liston planned to retire at the end of March. We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what happens next. Episodes End of story: Podcast Advertising. Dr. Ashley Liston lived and worked on Tyneside for 30 years and moved to Eden Valley in Cumbria four years ago. At the end of March, he planned to finish his work at the local clinic and retire. But before that, the coronavirus pandemic started, and he realized he would have to wait for his pension. “I found out that there was a shortage of specialists in the clinics in Western Cumberland, and I volunteered to help. It’s very beautiful there, but it’s inconvenient to get there,” he said. Liston began working in the “red zone,” where people with symptoms of Covid-19 were taken. “It’s an hour and a half drive, and I decided to work several days in a row and live in my own trailer.” “I was given a parking space and could use the shower at the clinic. And then, on the very first day, I found out that the local hotel had rooms available. I contacted them and they said they would be happy to help me. And how much more pleasant it is to sleep in a comfortable bed! Ashlt Liston speaks with great gratitude about the hotel owners. “They are unknown heroes. They are people who have quietly offered help. They understand the difference in conditions when you come back to your room after a hard shift, watch TV and get some rest.