A MUM and medical emergency assistant has been forced to leave her two-year-old daughter for 12 weeks so she can continue to save lives.

 

Chanice Cushion has shared a devastating video online desperately urging people to stay indoors to stop the coronavirus spread which is already putting huge pressure on her.

The 27-year-old works as a medical emergency assistant at Southend Hospital, and shared the emotional turmoil of having to move away from her daughter Honey, partner Dan Bates and mother-in-law Lorraine Bates due to the risk she could infect them with the virus.

Her mother-in-law suffers from many health issues, and her daughter Honey would also be at risk of spreading the virus further.

I apologise for the way I look; had an emotional morning....

Posted by Ccush Cuush on Monday, 23 March 2020

The Facebook video was shared yesterday morning and has now had more that 1.7 million views.

She shared her story before Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last night that everyone needed to stay indoors other than to buy food and essentials, go to work, provide care for someone, and to exercise.

Speaking to the Echo last night, Ms Cushion said the reaction to her story has been unprecedented.

She said: “It has been incredible. My reason for it was a lot of my colleagues at work and I understand the struggle and the shortages of PPE and being about to care for the patients, and I see people posting that they are out and about in parks saying they are everywhere and they are invincible.

“This is serious, and people need to understand and for me to take the plunge and have a conversation with my partner to leave the home has been devastating.

“These patients are so severely unwell, no one seems to understand this.

“The PPE [Personal Protective Equipment] we have been supplied I do not think is really sufficient towards this disease.

“I am afraid to breathe, I am afraid to go anywhere, I am afraid to go to work.

“I have always been a caring person, and for me to have to turn my back on patients that really need help, I don’t know if I will be able to physically do that. They need us.

“My daughter is only two-years-old, she doesn’t understand anything about this. My mother-in-law has lots of health problems, she’s a very poorly person.

“The only way to protect my family is to come away from them for at least three months until it starts improving. It’s really hard.

“I was told I could never have children, my daughter is my best friend, I can’t let anything happen to her.

Echo:

Chanice, her partner Dan and daughter Honey

“I just hope the views I have had mean people are listening.

“This virus is just phenomenal; it doesn’t take any prisoners. I don’t know if I’m safe at work, we are just trying the best we can, but because we do not understand it, people are not going to survive.

“I can’t walk away from where I work, it’s what I’ve wanted to do since I was a child.

“Everyone at work is just doing amazing. They are scared, they are so scared, I can see it on their faces, it’s so unnerving.

“We have to be there for one another, if we had appropriate PPE it wouldn’t be an issue, but we don’t. it’s disgraceful.”

The Echo contacted Southend Hospital and the Department of Health and Social Care for a separate story over concerns the was not adequate PPE for hospital staff to combat the virus.

In response, Diane Sarkar, Chief nursing officer for Basildon, Southend and Broomfield hospitals, said: “It’s an absolute priority of our hospitals to protect our staff at this crucial time, and we had a number of deliveries of personal protection equipment stock at the weekend.

“There is enough PPE for our staff, who are fully trained in how to use the equipment for the different situations they will encounter when treating patients.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “Every piece of Personal Protective Equipment supplied to doctors in England is safe to use and will effectively protect staff if used correctly.

“The products that pass these stringent tests are subject to relabelling with a new shelf-life as appropriate and can continue to be used. All that are not up to standard will be destroyed.”

The Echo has contacted both parties for comment on this story.