UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has nominated New Zealand-born nurse Jenny McGee for a Pride of Britain award after he credited her with helping save his life during his battle with Covid-19 earlier this year.
The awards, which began in 1999, will be screened on Britain’s ITV next month and recognise the achievements of people from all walks of life who have “made the world a better place”, according to their website.
Johnson and his fiancée, Carrie Symonds, shared the nomination in a pre-recorded message posted to social media.
"I want to pay thanks to the utterly brilliant team at St Thomas' Hospital who saved my life, and there were many of them, but I want to nominate two nurses in particular Luis and Jenny," Johnson said.
"Thank you to each and everyone of you for your care, your compassion and your kindness. You are the beating heart of our nation," he said.
"It's because of you that not only Boris is still here, but we are proud parents to our sweet baby boy," Symonds added.
Johnson was hospitalised at St Thomas’ hospital in April after suffering complications from Covid-19.
Upon being discharged, he was quick to credit the National Health Service (NHS) as well as dedicated nurses for saving his life.
"I hope they won’t mind if I mention in particular two nurses who stood by my bedside for 48 hours when things could have gone either way. They are Jenny from New Zealand – Invercargill on the South Island to be exact – and Luis from Portugal – near Porto," Johnson said at the time.
"And the reason in the end my body did start to get enough oxygen was because for every second of the night they were watching and they were thinking and they were caring and making the interventions I needed," he added.
"So that is how I also know that across this country, 24 hours a day, for every second of every hour, there are hundreds of thousands of NHS staff who are acting with the same care and thought and precision as Jenny and Luis."
At the time, McGee’s parents in New Zealand said her work made them feel "exceptionally proud".
"She said she had just had the most surreal time of her life, something she will never forget and that she had been taking care of Boris," mum Caroline McGee told 1 NEWS.
The 36-year-old has been working in the UK for about eight years. She'd only recently returned to the frontline after visiting her parents in Nelson.
SHARE ME