We have many frontline health workers in our church family. We wanted to see how they're doing and hopefully in hearing their stories we can gain better understanding and empathy with what they have to face each day. Meet Joni! 😊
1. Hi there! Could you introduce yourself and let us know what you do for work?
HI, I am a clinical pharmacist working with a paediatric population that is mostly immunosuppressed. A large portion of my patients are unvaccinated due to age and other factors. This carries increased risk of exposure/infection in both directions.
2. How has the pandemic and covid affected your work?
The common goal in our clinic is that our patients will not 'catch' covid from a staff member. Because of this, I have chosen to reduce my in person contacts at work and at home to reduce the risk I bring to work and back home. Since the pandemic started, I eat my lunch at my office desk facing the wall, often alone. We must wear continuous eye protection and continuous masking at all times, unmasking to eat/drink only if we were more than 6 feet apart from another coworker. I try to make my eyes smile when greeting a patient or coworker because you can't see the smile behind the mask, but it's hard. I do not work from home as that is not an option in a clinical setting. I try to have a walk after lunch every day with coworkers while masked. However, all social functions and in person celebrations at work are not permitted. It is often a lonely time as a health care worker. Also, at any moment, we could get a call from IP&C (infection prevention and control) that we have been exposed to a positive case of covid at work or that there is an outbreak at our centre etc. This happened to me once and has made me a little 'edgey.' Unfortunately, we do encounter patients/families who are not honest about their symptoms prior to coming to clinic.
3. How has the covid pandemic affected your personal life/family/mental health?
The covid pandemic has permeated all aspects of our life, not only because of the restrictions that come and go, but because of the mental load of assessing covid risk and benefits of everything. Whatever I have done and wherever I have chosen to go in the last few days, I worry I carry those potential exposure risks with me to work and into my home. As both my husband and I are health care workers, if one were to become sick, the other is greatly affected, as are the children. We are thankful to have 4 elderly grandparents involved with our children's care but we also have to consider the risk we pose to their health. This has affected what activities we choose to allow our children to participate in and who comes into our home. Personally as a mother of 3 young kids, I have made choices to reduce my social contacts in person to protect my family. I have struggled greatly with decisions regarding the children and trying to balance social and emotional development too. I am sad my children are not able to visit with their great grandmother in an assisted living facility.
4. What have you learned from your experiences of the pandemic over the past two years and how has this affected your faith?
I have learned that although the pandemic has created physical separation between people, it is possible to be creative in coming alongside those who are struggling or hurting. I feel it is very worthwhile and needed to maintain our relationships with people, to remember those who are alone, and to show others we care despite differences in viewpoints. And I have been reminded that God is at work even when we can't see it.
5. What is something that has sustained you and/or encouraged you over the past 2 years?
My children. Just seeing their joy at discovering something new like my eldest son understanding a pun for the first time or my daughter learning to ride a bike etc and them being excited at the simplest of things (stamping on bubble wrap, hot chocolate bombs, new library books etc), reminds me that I have plenty already.
6. With all the changes that have happened to your family during the pandemic, what is one change you’d like to carry with you into post-pandemic life?
Because we stopped eating out, we cooked almost all of our own meals and have explored many new recipes and found out there's so much we can make for ourselves. I hope we can teach our children the benefits of learning to cook too. Oh yeah, I picked up sourdough baking when the pandemic started and I think my sourdough starter 'Gary is here to stay. :)
7. How can we pray for you?
Wisdom in decision making for myself and my family, and peace for the future.
8. What are some practical ways we can show our frontline workers we care?
Just simple words of appreciation and checking in every so often mean a lot.
9. The floor is yours. Is there anything else you want to say?
Psalm 46:10 - “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”