New Year message from our Silver Star Patron Clare Mackintosh

As 2020 drew to a close, I know I wasn’t alone in feeling relieved to see the back of it, and hopeful that a new year would bring more positive news. Now that 2021 is underway, and the pandemic continues to take lives the world over, I suspect I’m not the only one still feeling bleak. Everyone has found the last twelve months a struggle. For families batting with medical conditions, or coming to terms with loss, the pandemic has created additional pressure and anxiety, and I know that many in our Silver Star family will be suffering right now.

I am doing my best to find the small moments of joy in each day. The weather is cold and rainy, but there are daffodils poking through the grass. Homeschooling is causing endless calls for tech support (and snacks, so many snacks…), but I have connected with my teenagers in a way that would not have happened in normal times. I haven’t seen my mother in a year, but our Boxing Day Zoom murder mystery was a riot! If you’re struggling, try to identify one good thing each day - I promise it will help.

Throughout all this, our incredible midwives, obstetricians and support staff have worked tirelessly to keep mothers-to-be healthy, to deliver babies safely, and to keep the wheels on when every department at the John Radcliffe is stretched to capacity. We are all so grateful for their hard work.

Although it seems as though there is no end to this dreadful situation, as the vaccine is rolled out across the country, the light at the end of the tunnel draws nearer. Every week we gain another few minutes of daylight, and soon it will be spring, and then summer. We will get through this, and be stronger for it.

I wish you all a safe and peaceful year, and send you strength for the weeks and months ahead.

Clare Mackintosh