Jackie, 60, from Sittingbourne, said: “I was thinking of either being a nurse or a nun, but then I met my boyfriend Neil, who went on to become my husband, so nursing it was.”
Gill, 57, from Rainham, said: “My granddad was being cared for on a ward at the hospital and when I went to visit him he said to me ’I reckon you’d be good at this’ and that’s when my interest in nursing began.”
When she qualified after three years of training, Jackie knew she wanted to be a midwife but the placement wasn’t due to start until the October.
“During that time I went and worked in the operating theatres as a scrub nurse for gynaecology and ear nose and throat procedures as well as doing on-call emergency caesareans,” she said.
“When I finally got to start my midwifery training, I spent six weeks on the neonatal unit and absolutely loved it. The babies just amazed me with their resilience and fight for life and I just thought ‘I want to help and be part of their amazing journey’.
“I’m so proud to be a neonatal nurse and I feel very privileged to have looked after so many babies and their families during my career. I wouldn’t have wanted to have spent my years working for the NHS anywhere else. I’ve met some lovely people along the way and made some amazing friends, including Gill.”
Married mum of three Gill said: “When I worked on the children’s ward during my placement I really enjoyed it. When I qualified I worked on St Bartholomew’s Hospital’s surgical ward for two years before completing my children’s nurse training.
“Jackie and I were friends from day one and we were always in touch with one another or socialising together along with others from our course. When she qualified I was so proud of her that I went bought her a badge that said ‘Jackie Matthews Staff Nurse’ on it.
“Once I’d qualified as a children’s nurse we worked alongside each other on the neonatal unit. I went on to do my intensive care of the newborn training course but in 1995 I decided to go back to paediatrics, working as a paediatric clinical sister until 2013 when I took on my current role with the COaST team.
“Since I started my career there’s been a lot of changes to nursing and healthcare over the years such as advances in medicines, research and technology. There’s also a lot more awareness about mental health and wellbeing, all of which can only be a good thing.
“I feel old knowing I’ve done 40 years’ service but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, just like I’ve enjoyed mine and Jackie’s friendship.”
Read our latest news and stories
Join us in making a difference
