Galway nurse’s Ebola mission

Words and photograph: John Carlos

Most of her friends say she’s crazy – while secretly admiring her. Because Galway native Rebecca Taqi is volunteering to help people in Sierra Leone who are infected with Ebola, something she needs to do no matter what they say.

Rebecca, who is from Cill Chiaráin, in Connemara, is a senior staff nurse working in the Accident and Emergency department in the renowned St. Thomas’ hospital in London.

And along with a group of some 35 medical personnel, she is waiting to be deployed to Sierra Leone, “hopefully this coming January,” she says.

Rebecca studied nursing in NUI Galway, where she qualified with a 1st in a Bachelor of Nursing Science degree in September 2009.

A month later, she started working in Whipps Cross University hospital in Waltham Forest in London. She worked in urology and breast surgery, and a year later she joined the Accident and Emergency department.

“People may say that I’m a bit of an adrenalin junkie, but I really enjoy the pace and diversity of the work,” she says.

She was soon promoted to the senior post of staff nurse, and in January 2013 when a new position presented itself, she joined the A&E department of St. Thomas’ Hospital, which is situated on the banks of the Thames, overlooking the Houses of Parliament.

“They are a great team to work with,” says Rebecca.

“The work can be very rewarding, for instance, when someone comes in badly wounded – and a few days later, I see them walking the corridor in good form. They may not remember me, but that feeling that you have helped make them feel well again is great. I love the work,” she says.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune – in the shops on Christmas Eve.