How many ears must the NHS have
Before he can hear staff cry?
Yes, and how many vacancies will it take 'til he knows
That too many staff have gone?
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind. The answer is blowing in the wind.
12 months ago my life changed and was turned upside down. I came to England 17 years ago pursuing my dream of being a nurse. I chose England because it was a very tolerant country with one of the best health services in the world. For 17 years I never felt a foreigner. The NHS is one of the most multicultural workplaces with over 200 nationalities. 1 in 4 doctor is a migrant and 1 in 7 nurses also comes from overseas.
All that changed on 23rd June when the public people voted to leave the European Union. My identity was in question and like with any loss, during the last 12 months I have been through the five stages of grief and loss: 1. Denial 2. Anger; 3. Bargaining; 4. Depression; 5. Acceptance.
Initially I was in shocked and in complete denial about Brexit. I thought my life was going to continue as before but all that changed when one day my daughter came home from school crying and asked me if it was true that I was going to be forced to go back to Spain. Alarms bells rang inside my head. Suddenly I was overcome with uncertainty about everything and I became angry.
Keep in mind all people grieve differently. Some people will wear their emotions on their sleeve and be outwardly emotional. Others will experience grief more internally, and may not cry...
I have come to terms with the Brexit result but during the process I decided to deal with my feeling and emotions by taking a more active role and try to take charge of my destiny and fight for what I think it's right.
I did not predict the impact Brexit would have on the NHS. As a nurse I had no other option to fight back. I decided to transform my grief into action and use my Latin passion to fight against the injustice been thrown at me.
I would love to see everybody to break the walls we have built around ourselves and come out of our comfort zone. We need to believe in ourselves.
I don't like to wait for things to change. If change is going to happen I like to initiate it, take the first step and put myself in the driving seat to ensure that we can move from where we are to where we want to be. A little change can make a big difference. The good thing is that I found out that I am not alone.
On my journey I found lots of people like me and also fantastic organisations like The 3 million.
One thing I have going for me is that I am a good story teller and my message got the attention of a lot of people and by accident I have found myself at the forefront of a movement. My story and face have been splashed all over the media and I have been able to resonate all over the world.
Brexit has divided the country but slowly and surely the situation is changing. The elections results are a clear example. People have had enough of a divided country and more and more people have decided to stop listening to the fear message and try to build a future based on hope. A Britain where Brexiteers and Remainers reach to each other and try to build a future together, a future based on what we have in common, not on our differences. At the end of the day we all want the same. Britain to be great again.
As John Lennon said "Call me a dreamer but I am not the only one".