School's out for Corona - In the name of Thiago - Day 74

And so the news has come that many parents feared but no doubt will have been expecting since the other more stringent measures were announced on Monday.

There does seem to be a lot of anxiety at the moment with regards to the Coronavirus but one constant in my life that I have been more grateful for than ever since my darling little boy passed away, is my incredibly ebullient and straight-talking daughter Elisa. Elisa has, what seems to be referred to in contemporary life as, sass.

Having digested the news delivered by Boris this evening, I thought it only fair that I went and told Elisa that she may be off school for quite some time after Friday. Ah but yes, as many of you may already be thinking isn’t your good lady a paediatric nurse i.e. a ‘key worker’?

Elisa calmly explained to me this evening that given a choice between being one of a handful of students in a school or being left under my responsibility at home that there really wasn’t a decision to be made. Besides, she’s quite keen to have the opportunity to show other students her Coronavirus dance.

Far from being anxious or worried about the current world order, Elisa sees it as one big adventure.  She’s just told me that she’s thinking of writing a book called ‘The Corona Adventure’ as in her words 'there may not be much else to do in social isolation'. She always has answers Elisa. This positive problem-solving can become quite infectious, though perhaps that isn’t quite the right word at this time.

There is one thing that I am frustrated by. Note I am frustrated, not anxious as ultimately there is little we can do about the events playing out. My month-long trek from my home town of Eastbourne to Stoke-on-Trent is due to take place from 6 June to 3 July and though at the moment I am working very much on the basis that it should still go ahead, the fundraising for it is becoming extremely difficult because frankly people’s attention is elsewhere, as it rightly should be. Que sera sera.

In the meantime folks please remember that our dear NHS is under greater strain now than ever before and that I am fundraising for two of its amazing hospitals – Birmingham Children’s Hospital and University Stoke Hospital. It says a lot, I think, that despite losing my son in a hospital, that I should be so determined to raise money for them. And that’s because we’re so bloody lucky to have an incredible health service. Help me to help them.