Duke and Duchess of Cambridge applaud health workers on Canada Day, say they have done ‘a fantastic job’

🇨🇦 On Canada Day we say thank you to frontline workers across the country for your amazing work protecting and supporting your communities.#CanadaDay | @FraserHealth pic.twitter.com/IYoWdw2yTd

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) July 1, 2020

While many Canadians were left with no choice but to celebrate inside their respective homes or at work since public events and large gatherings are still prohibited due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the commemoration of Canada Day, fortunately, did not end up to be just another ordinary occasion for staff members of Fraser Health’s Surrey Memorial Hospital in British Columbia. It is definitely far from just a typical day for them when they got to talk with two members of the Royal Family.

Six staff members of the hospital were given the opportunity to have a video call with none other than the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on Canada Day on Wednesday, July 1, where the Royal couple applauded the health workers for all the hard work they have been doing.

“Catherine and I wanted to touch base and say how proud we are of all of you, everyone on the frontline who have led the way very stoically and very bravely and have put patient care right at the top of the list and have done a fantastic job,” Prince William said, continuing, “So well done to all of you.”

During the seven-minute video call, the staff shared their experiences, including the challenges they face as they put their own lives on the line to fight the deadly virus.

Sunny, one of the medical frontliners, said that one of their biggest challenges on a daily basis is seeing their patients being separated from their families in such scary and uncertain times and their families not being able to be with their loved ones to personally take care of them.

“It’s impacted the patients, their mental health and family’s mental health, and for us, the distress of these families [who] can’t come in to see patients, can’t come in to see their loved ones. They can’t be a part of their care and so it’s a lot of distress I think all the way around,” she said.

Understanding how hard it is to be away from their families, the medical staff do everything they can to help their patients connect with their relatives virtually.

“It was a Facetime call or a cordless phone in a bag that we took into a patient’s room and his wife sang to him. That was very important for her and it meant the world for her to have, to be able to speak to him,” she shared.

Just like their patients, these frontliners have a little rest and almost have no time to see their own families as they have been working around the clock to save thousands of lives. Thankfully, the whole team, they said, become a strong support system for one another, lifting each other’s spirits to continue their fight.

“Everybody shows up for each other to be able to support each other and give them space to have those conversations. It’s just brought us a lot closer together through this piece. I feel more connected to my family and to my work family,” another health worker told the Royal couple.

Sunny, who is expecting her little one in September, also shared that not being able to physically interact with her siblings became a challenge to her but because of the support her team has showered to her, she was able to continue to perform her duties well at the hospital.

“I never once felt that I needed to stop working where I work because of the support I got from my team,” she said.

“We’re a very large team but we’re very close-knit,” she added.

The Duchess of Cambridge praised the team for their sacrifices just to help their country and fellow countrymen.

“It’s an amazing role that you’re playing and it’s a hugely though one as well.

We’re in huge admiration of everything you’re doing,” she said.

Prince William, meanwhile, said they hope they can meet the staff to personally express their admiration for their dedication.

Dr. Gregory Haljan, head of the Department of Critical Care at Surrey Memorial Hospital, was quoted by Fraser Health in its tweet, saying that their conversation with the Royal couple gave them a “tremendous sense of pride” in what their colleagues, patients, and families have achieved during this pandemic.

British Columbia has currently recorded more than 2,900 confirmed coronavirus cases, with more than 2,500 recoveries and more than 170 deaths.