A record that started before the photo above was taken.
I started working when I was 16 years old. I barely look 16 now so picture what must have looked like a 10 year old donning a full suit, getting the bus into Warrington town centre to work as a teller at what was Lloyds TSB. I think I was actually 17 in the photo above, speaking at a Young Enterprise thing.
18 years on, still not looking much past 16 years old, I have maintained a proud record of never having taken a day off sick from any job (*I did break my arm in my foundation year in 2010, you’ll have to buy my book for that story though).
Until now…..
Two weeks into finally owning my own dental practice, after nearly 18 years of working for other people, never being late, never letting anyone down, never cancelling a list at less than a month’s notice, I’ve got COVID!
I feel like I’ve got a bad cold, nothing that would ordinarily stop me working, but obviously, I’m not going on clinic. The rules may have changed in general but in healthcare we still have to take the responsible decision to do what’s best for our patients. Right now that means making sure I don't spread it to my patients and our team.
You can never be sure, but seeing as my daughter was unwell, confirmed covid, then Marisa, and now me, I reckon it’s come from school. It’s testament to the safety of our dental practices and our cross infection control measures that for the last two years I’ve been seeing patients most days and not caught it.
So what now?
First, an apology to all the patients who’ve been waiting for me to get into my new practice and who had an appointment with me this week. We’ll get you booked back in as soon as possible.
As for me, I’m feeling a bit grotty, it’s time to rest, as much as I can with two kids at home. Hopefully I’ll catch up on a bit of reading, at the moment it's William Sieghart's beautiful Poetry Pharmacy and Brené Brown's inspiring Dare to Lead.
I’m grateful that I’ve managed to avoid it for so long, I’ve been well when many others haven’t and now that it has finally caught up with me, it seems I’ve got it fairly mild. There's always plenty to be thankful for.
Stay safe and I’ll see you on the other side.
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