Our BRILLIANT NURSES

As we celebrate 75 years of our NHS, meet three amazing women - among thousands - who help keep us safe and well

I GAVE THE WORLD'S FIRST COVID-19 VACCINE'

May Parsons, 42, has worked as 36 womanandhome.com a nurse within the NHS since 2003, after moving to the UK from the Philippines. In December 2020, she made history when she administered the world's first COVID-19 vaccine outside of clinical trials. She is currently the Modern Matron for Respiratory at University Hospitals in Coventry. She lives in Warwickshire with her husband and two children.

We were all scared when the pandemic hit, in March 2020. But when I trained to be a nurse, I made a commitment to help people, and fear was not going to stop me. Because of my experience in respiratory care, I volunteered to work in the ITU (intensive care unit).

For six weeks, I witnessed what can only be described as a clinical war zone. Every day was filled with fear, helplessness and despair. It was so traumatic I don't think I've even begun to process it yet.

The hardest part was balancing fulfilling my duties and managing the risk to my family. I had the option to live in a hotel during my ITU redeployment but I decided that if I was going to die, I didn't want to be alone. Instead, I isolated at home. One day, my son asked to give me a hug because he could see that I was struggling - I had to say no because I didn't want to put him at risk. It was one of the most heartbreaking things I have had to do.

That's what I had to face, every day. I want to make sure all the nurses who had to experience that same guilt and fear know that we all stand in solidarity.

As part of the nursing community, I am immensely proud of what we've been through. I never could have dreamed where my nursing career would take me. From being on the front line during a pandemic to being the first person to administer a COVID-19 vaccine while the world watched - such a proud moment.