My Unsung Heroes….

The other day l was reflecting on the past 10 months that we just have gone through and in looking back on these turbulent times it occurred to me some of the people and areas that have stepped up during COVID-19 to help and support our communities. There are always those folks who work diligently and with honour and never make a sound or complain about life, they keep their heads down low and just grind it out.

Don’t go to the store unless you have to, don’t go see a friend, don’t go to church, don’t even think of socialising with a close relative, don’t even think of breathing unless you are told…but this is life in a pandemic, uncertain and unprecedented times we are in. The weeks drag on, life transforms, and countless people are helping Ontarians get by with our new stay at home reality. And in many instances, that means that folks can’t stay home by themselves.

There are the health-care workers who are taking care of the sick and the vulnerable, and countless ordinary heroes making our world function. They stock the grocery store shelves, take care of others, they deal with people’s financial concerns during a crisis. There are couriers who deliver medical supplies to doctors and craft projects to families stuck at home, and public health workers who are tracing the virus from person to person in a bid to stop its spread. In these bewildering times, helpers are everywhere.

To me l would like to give some attention and congratulations to those people who clean all our buildings and sanitize our hospital, schools and other major institutions that we visit on a frequent basis. These people and much of this sector is made up by men, women and youth from other countries. In many cases these new immigrants or citizens who have been in this country, are putting their lives on the line each and every day. Its these folks in my humble opinion that need to be recognized and applauded for what they do. This type of work, especially in these times is a noble trait and they should be rewarded.

Another sector that goes totally unrecognized are these truck drivers and delivery people who bring us all these packages to our homes and offices and never complain. With this pandemic in full flight, buying merchandise online is a full-on set way of future shopping that is here to stay.

The men and women who deliver these packages are totally exposed every day, but they keep doing their jobs and yes…its not a glamorous job, but it’s an important one. These jobs are so crucial at this junction in our lifetime and many of these packages may be delivered by robots in the not so distant future, but for now, these man and women who deliver these items are truly unsung heroes in my book. The difference between these folks and say the postal service, which by the way are also doing an admirable job, are very well compensated by pension plans, benefits and all sorts of perks. However, these drivers are the true warriors and should be recognised.

Our paramedics and fire fighters are a noble group that needs to be recognized and honoured for what they do every day. These men and women literally put their lives on the line each and every day. The paramedic community needs to be applauded for bravery and heroism for what they do in light of the possible exposures they have to COVID-19. Every time that a paramedic arrives to help someone today, the odds of contracting this virus is very high and they all know this fact. Their bravery is something that cannot be measured and should be acknowledged and applauded each and every day. A note to firefighters that on many occasions they are the first to arrive to a scene that needs medical attention or has a hazardous situation that needs to be attended to. Their bravery cannot be measured.

Medical staff in all our hospitals that include administrators, secretaries and assistant and anyone that has to go into a hospital are unsung heroes. I would like to take a moment and give my unconditional true love and support to nurses and nurse practitioner that are your front-line workers and who are the ones that truly deal with most medical situations and emergencies.

Yes, doctors are vital in our medical structure, but they tend not to be around when most of the heavy lifting is done…the nursing staff and their associated are the unconditional true warriors of this pandemic crisis and should not only be acknowledge but should be rewarded.

I have firsthand experience living with nurses and nurse practitioner and my hat goes off to these people, the trauma, depression and human suffering that they see and have to deal with are situations that many of us would not want or couldn’t deal with. These brave, special people are a God scent and thank God we have them in our lives.

The people who pick up our garbage through these times are a notable group that needs to be mentioned. Think about what our street would look like if the sanitation/garbage pick-ups stopped and we were left to deal with this on a personal level. I can tell you that the level of disease would escalate and our COVID virus would move faster and spread instantaneously.

Sanitation workers are at a higher risk of contracting the virus. Many struggles to keep physical distance when collecting waste door to door, attending community toilets or interacting with householders to empty pits or septic tanks. These workers have been unwavering in the job they do, and an honorary mention is well deserved.

The average person, whether you are young, old, middle age doesn’t matter…coming together to help those that need help or just some words of encouragement can go a long way. God did not make us all the same, while many have needs especially in these times it’s important to help our fellow man. You may be that person reading this who has done this honourable work, given a helping hand and sacrificed yourself to help a loved one or just a friend or even a stranger…thank you thank you and thank you. Your effort and love will not go unnoticed.

Another group of warriors that need to be recognised are those folks that work at shoppers, Metro, bakeries, take-out food locations and so many other unnoticed workers that serve the public for our basic needs and essentials. This sector has not waivered from day one with this virus, and yes there have been some hick ups, but many workers have stood up and continue to serve the public without any fanfare. This group of workers needs a deserving tip of the cap and a grateful thank you for showing up most day to service our everyday needs.

To round out my honorary mentions l would like to give some attention to teachers and the constant work they do these days, not only to teach but to me a bit of a parent and a medical assessor. Their job is definitely not an easy one these days. The police also needs to be mentioned here and given some praise with the job they are doing.

The other day l had to drop into The Hospital for SickKids and visit someone that had just gotten a very serious procedure done…. when l left, l was in au of the work these professionals do every day with no complaints. But the one thing that stayed with me that day and will continue to be a reminder for me, is that if you think you are having a bad day, drop into SickKids and you will realise how good we have it.

Its important for all of us to do our part…how small or big in these unprecedented times.

Thank You …. I have noticed your efforts.