Behind The Mask
Andrew Gillespie
‘We’ll keep the mask, you can have the cape!’
I have been a nurse in the dialysis unit here at the City Hospital for almost 35 years. I began painting landscapes around 15 years ago and, encouraged by a patient I made my first attempt at portraits just before the outbreak of the Pandemic. Inspired by the courage and dedication of my colleagues I was motivated to paint more portraits as a tribute to heir perseverance through this ‘storm’. Before you is the result of that endeavour. Everyone, from Catering assistants (like Brendan) to Consultant surgeons (like Tim Brown) have played a vital part in the battle against Covid-19.
In almost 40 years as a staff Nurse the past 2 years have undoubtedly been the most difficult. Probably everyone in the NHS could say the same but special praise must go to my colleagues in Intensive Care. The title of ‘Hero’ has been applied to NHS workers throughout this ordeal. But the cape weighs heavily on our shoulders. Behind every mask there’s a face, and behind that a story. Not always a story of unflinching resilience under the PPE.
Sometimes the mask slips and we show ourselves to be ordinary human beings, who care, who feel, who do our best under pressure, and yes, who make mistakes. So, as someone has said, ‘we’ll keep the mask, you can have the cape’. Or as the mythical figure Hercules put it: ‘A true hero is not measured by the greatness of their strength, but the strength of their heart.’
Andrew Gillespie
“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile” Albert Einstein
