1/ For the first time ever in my years of working as a healthcare advocate, with the exception of a few, I am openly seeing online the serious division between people who are healthy and unhealthy and those who have children/family with and without health conditions...
2/
- On the 25th January I posted on Twitter that I hoped the Irish Govt were ready for #Coronavirus pandemic
(they weren’t)

- On the 28th FebruaryïżŒ I made the extremely hard decision to remove my girls from school (and felt the backlash of negative judgement from others)
3/
- On the 2nd March I spoke on @ClaireByrneLive , advocating for children/people with underlying conditions to be cocooned & schools to be closed
- It took 10 more days (12th March) before the Govt closed the schools. (After people had died from it)
4/ It took 25 more days (27th March) before Govt announced plans for people to #cocoon (after more had died)

As of 25th July (WITH mitigation plans in place - inc. a national #lockdown & serious restrictions in place) there have been 1,763 deaths related to Covid19. (RIP)
5/ Many people, including #healthcare workers, who have survived #Covid19 are still suffering lasting effects from the virus, some which may not ever go away.

I am so tired of Govt sending mixed messages and not acting on time.
6/ Worse still, I am tired of people fighting with one another - the “well” vs the “unwell”.

If I hear one more person tell me “sure kids don’t get it bad” or “their immune system will fight it” or “mental health is MORE important” I will actually lose the plot.
7/ Mental health AND physical health are equally as important!!! If your physical health declines, this can detrimentally impact your mental health, and vice versa.

We learned this the very hard way.

My gut instinct rarely fails me...
8/ I can't count the times I had to rely on my instinct alone & fight to ensure my girls were diagnosed & treated. There are 3 particular occasions where the thought of not acting on my instincts is not worth thinking about as the outcomes could have been very different 😞
9/ Today, my gut instinct has alarm bells ringing.

My instinct (& science) are telling me that opening the schools the way the Govt are currently planning to do AND during flu season, is not going to be safe: especially for children/families with underlying health conditions.
10/ For many people, fighting #Covid19 is not always about how healthy an immune system is.

Take for example, asthma/heart conditions. If a respiratory system is already weakened then adding a virus like Covid to this can have very serious adverse effects.
11/ If you have a genetic immune system disorder or are on immunosuppressive meds then the risks are higher.

My girls were extremely healthy in 2009 before they got H1N1 (swine flu). It triggered juvenile arthritis, high blood pressure, chronic fatigue, headaches, asthma...
12/ And believe me - that seriously affects their mental health!!
They miss school, time with friends and miss out on many activities.
Spending weeks in hospitals.
Days in bed.
They want to be in school more than anything.
I want them in school more than anything.
13/
Walk one day in my shoes, or any parent who has children with serious underlying health conditions, and you may think differently.

Find the empathy inside of you. Dig deep.

I never thought #swineflu would happen to us.
So many think #Covid19 won't happen to them
14/ I have always wished and prayed more than anything in the world for my girls to not be sick. Guilt has overwhelmed me - did I do something wrong? Could I have acted quicker? Is it my fault?

Believe me, you do NOT want to go through this agonising mental torture.
15/ I can't list the amount of specialists we’ve spoken to or scientific journals I've researched looking for answers.

I became an advocate to meet/help other people, like me.

I stand up for the most vulnerable in our society.

So forgive me if I’m nervous of this virus.
16/ Forgive me for being angry that so many people can’t find it in them to understand the fear many parents, guardians and teachers have today.

Forgive me for not believing it is safe for children, teachers or family members to go back to school under the current plans.
17/ Forgive me for worrying about vulnerable family members of children/teachers who are at risk of contracting this deadly virus.

Grandparents, parents, siblings, newborns, cousins...
18/ Forgive me for worrying about the health of healthcare workers & the impact on healthcare facilities -possibly becoming overwhelmed again and all outpatient appointments/surgeries postponed again due to #Covid19.

But do NOT judge me. Or others like me.
19/ I have one job in this world and it is first and foremost to keep my children safe - mentally and physically.

I believe schools should reopen soon - BUT it has to be done safely.

#education #schools #covid19 #safety
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