Submitted by Craig and Hazel
Junior Charge Nurse
At the beginning of the pandemic, we both were nurses at the Princess Royal Hospital. Hazel was a Ward Sister and I was a Staff Nurse (although I have since moved on to be a Junior Charge Nurse).
We had worked together for about three years prior to the pandemic. Just before the first lockdown was announced we, along with a few others, went for a walk. Although we had been good friends on the ward for a while, Hazel and I had never really spent any great length of time together. We ended up getting lunch after the walk and got chatting.
Lockdown then hit and the effects of the virus and the stresses of nursing increased as our ward became a Covid ward.
However, Hazel and I continued to talk more and more. We became very close, supporting each other through the very difficult days, including when one of our colleagues was taken to London as a result of contracting Covid. Working together, we understood the difficulties we were both going through and were able to support each other so much better because of this.
We became a lot closer as time went on, eventually deciding to become a couple. Since then, we have moved in together, along with pets and kids on both sides. We then also had the (very) unexpected surprise of discovering Hazel was pregnant and have recently welcomed our daughter Beatrix to the world.
Before Covid we were two single people who happened to work together. We became close because of Covid, our relationship was really shaped by Covid. But we’ve come away having found a person each who we really love and cherish and who makes our days better and happier.
I know it is a very gooey story but we appreciate how this whole period has been particularly bad for lots of people and believe this is one of the nicer things to have come from it.