After Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa called Luís Pitarma, The Portuguese nurse who was praised by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for his work at London’s St. Thomas hospital, it was the turn of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to contact the nurse Jenny McGee – the other praised nurse after treating Boris Johnson during hospitalization with Covid-19. According to the New Zealand press, the ruler looked for the nurse on Facebook and texted her – but is still waiting for an answer.
Since Boris Johnson left the hospital and especially thanked to two foreign nurses – Luís, from Porto, and Jenny, from Invercargill – that the world mobilized in search of the two health professionals. And the leaders of the home countries of Luís and Jenny were the first. Both were at the side of the British Prime Minister for 48 hours, when Boris Johnson’s situation was more serious, and they were the reason why Johnson’s body “started getting enough oxygen“.
Although none of the nurses spoke publicly about Boris Johnson’s internment, Jenny McGee’s family spoke to the New Zealand press about the case. In an interview with TVNZ, the nurse’s parents explained what the daughter told them after Boris Johnson was discharged from the hospital. “She said she had had the most surreal time in her life, something she will never forget, that she had been taking care of Boris“Caroline McGee, the nurse’s mother, told that television.
To the NZ Herald, the nurse’s father, Mike McGee, said that Jenny only confirmed that she had been treating Boris Johnson after the British Prime Minister was released from the hospital. The parents knew that their daughter worked in that unit, but they were unsure of Jenny’s involvement in Johnson’s treatment. “She never confirmed or denied that she was involved until he left the hospital. Then he told the world“Said Mike McGee. Jenny’s father also said that the nurse had an “opportunity to speak” to the prime minister. “What else should you do when you are taking care of someone for 24 hours?”
After Boris Johnson announced the names of the nurses who took care of him at the most difficult time, in the intensive care unit, Jenny McGee told the family that she did not want publicity. “Dad, I was just doing my job, you are taking care of him as if you were taking care of any patient who came in the door“Jenny said to her father, according to the same interview. But the family does not hide pride. “We are all very proud of Jen, not just for the support she gave Boris, but for everything she has done to help people every day,” the nurse’s brother Rob McGee told the same newspaper.
Who also expressed pride in the daughter of the land was Invercargill’s mayor, Tim Shadbolt. Speaking to the New Zealand press, Shadbolt said he hoped the nurse’s fame would help boost morale in the region. “It is not that often that a nurse from Invercargill saves the life of the British Prime Minister“, Said the mayor. “It is very rare for us to be mentioned on the BBC, I am sure it will raise people’s morale.”
Boris Johnson is not the only patient satisfied with Jenny McGee. Speaking to Sky News, another Briton, David Cotton, who in 2017 was treated by the nurse, described her as a “fabulous” person, with a great “sense of humor” and “100% professional“.
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