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Two years ago, Owen O’Flynn climbed Kilimanjaro and last year he climbed Carrauntoohil.
In his own words, Owen, 23, of Bantry in West Cork, believed he was indestructible – he didn’t think he’d get sick. Never.
When the pandemic hit here in March and coronavirus cases started to rise, Owen, who is a doctor and preparing to be a GP, was working at Cork University Hospital.
You now know that you contracted the virus then, although you did not realize it at the time.
Apart from losing his sense of taste and smell, Owen had no other symptoms. Loss of taste and smell were not recognized symptoms of Covid-19 at the time. The virus passed through Owen and continued as usual.
Two months later, his world fell apart.
“I never thought, at 23, that I would be experiencing that feeling of an impending sense of doom … you don’t know what’s coming; you know it’s bad and you don’t know if you’ll ever recover.”
On May 2, Owen was admitted to Cork University Hospital, a puzzling change from doctor to patient at the hospital where he worked.
Initially, his admission was purely precautionary, for fluids, monitoring and treatment of stomach pain. What he and his doctors didn’t realize until much later was that he suffered from post-Covid syndrome.
From that point on, things went downhill quickly. Within two days, Owen was transferred to intensive care. There he spent a week, during which he suffered heart and lung failure. His heart was working at less than a third of its normal work rate. Owen could have died, and almost did.
“I had three very scary days in the week I was in the unit,” Owen told RTÉ News. “I had experienced death in hospital through work. I used to work in a nursing home as a health care assistant. I had the experience of death.
“I never thought, at 23 years old, that I would be experiencing that feeling of an impending sense of doom … you don’t know what’s coming. You know it’s bad and you don’t know if you’ll ever recover.”
Owen, who is now recovered and returning to work at Kerry University Hospital, is one of around 150 frontline medical staff participating in a series of events between now and Saturday to once again raise awareness about the coronavirus.
Those involved want to reinforce the message that the virus is indiscriminate and are also raising funds for those who have suffered the most since the pandemic struck.
“Many ICU staff are uncomfortable with being placed on a pedestal during the crisis, as we are just doing our job, albeit in difficult times.”
They are all front-line consultants, doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who work in Covid wards and intensive care units.
But don’t call them heroes, it’s a state that doesn’t suit them.
“I guess,” said Dr. Patrick Seigne, intensive care consultant, “in March when Covid started to become a major problem, we started working very hard in the ICU to prepare for what was happening and very quickly, we started getting called heroes.
“I was very uncomfortable with that, this is what I was getting paid for and my colleagues felt the same.”
From there, a group that included Dr. Seigne went to work on the series of events that will unfold in the coming days.
A two-day ‘ICU 4 U’ cycle begins today, with health personnel cycling from Belfast, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford to Phoenix Park in Dublin. This is an awareness and fundraising cycle.
The cycle has a fundraising goal of € 100,000, which will be divided among four charities: Alone, Aware, Breakthrough Cancer Research and ICUsteps Dublin. They were chosen as representatives of those who had suffered the most during the pandemic. The public is invited to make donations through www.icu4u.ie.
The awareness element of the cycle relates to the fact that the virus is still in circulation and is equally dangerous.
And finally, the cycle is a vehicle to help deal with the discomfort of doctors and nurses with that ‘hero’ label.
“Many ICU staff are uncomfortable with being placed on a pedestal during the crisis as we are just doing our job, albeit in difficult times,” said Dr. Seigne. “We are very grateful for the gifts we receive from the public, but we must refocus on where it is needed most: patients and charities.
“No one is indestructible … we have to get out of that mindset and be grateful for what we have in the moment, be smart about what we are doing and just follow the advice.”
“The impact of Covid-19 goes far beyond the ICU, and we are only beginning to see secondary challenges, particularly with the elderly, those living in nursing homes, those experiencing anxiety and mental illness, survivors of Covid-19 ICU and cancer patients who are particularly vulnerable to the virus and whose diagnosis has been delayed and urgently need new treatments. “
Following the end of the charity cycle on Friday, medical professionals have been invited to a virtual conference on Saturday to review the response to the pandemic so far in Ireland and establish what can be learned, both here and from international experience.
The public is invited to participate in the final session, through Zoom, starting at 12:15 pm. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions. Prior reservation is necessary, sending an email to [email protected].
Owen O’Flynn will share his experience with the coronavirus at the conference. His attitude has changed and he is eager for others, particularly those his own age, to change theirs as well.
“No one is indestructible,” Owen said. “We just have to get out of that mindset and be grateful for what we have in the moment, be smart about what we’re doing and follow the advice.”
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