Pooja – Speech Language Pathologist

This is Pooja. She is a speech language pathologist.

“The feelings are dichotomous. Lots and little has changed as I look back on the last year.

There is fatigue on the faces of my colleagues – but there is also hope with the vaccine roll-out. There is the emptiness of lockdown – paralleled by the frustration of seeing our wards starting to fill up with COVID as we re-open. There is a desire to spend time with friends and loved ones – paired with the desire to be responsible and protect ourselves and the community. It has been a year, and we are still learning.

While it has been a challenging year, it has also been incredibly rewarding. I love seeing my patients, and it has been all the more rewarding through testing times. I love doing my research, now partly focused on COVID, and contributing to an evolving body of knowledge. It feels fulfilling to be part of the solution.

I am grateful to be able to do what I do. To have the health and wellbeing of my loved ones. To be vaccinated and protected.

We will look back on the last year of our lives in 20 years as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It hasn’t been easy for anyone, but there is lots to smile about as we look back and look ahead.”

Author’s Note: We have frequently gained insight into the MD’s perspective throughout the pandemic. A window into the perspective of an allied health professional, both then and now, brings into focus what the pandemic has meant for other health providers on the frontlines.