Abstract
As many of you will know, we have received the sad news that Jean Lawrence passed away on Tuesday 15 October. Jean touched the lives of everyone she met, both within the infection prevention community and beyond. Jean’s commitment and service to both the Infection Control Nurses Association (ICNA) and the Infection Prevention Society (IPS) has been pivotal to their success.
Jean completed her nurse training in Kirkcaldy, Scotland in 1973. After working at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Middlesex and as a ward sister and senior sister in Stanmore, Jean took up the post of infection control nurse at Edgware General Hospital in 1982. She moved to Leeds Community and Mental Health Trust in 1991 before becoming the infection control nurse and director of infection prevention and control at Leeds Mental Health NHS Trust in 2001. This service was recognised nationally as a nurse led infection prevention and control service and was a model that many tried to emulate; she remained there until she retired.
Jean’s ICNA/IPS posts were numerous and spread over 30 years. She was London Branch secretary from 1983 to 1986, national honorary secretary from 1986 to 1989, Yorkshire NEC representative from 1992 to 1995, national education group lead from 1995 to 1998, Yorkshire branch co-ordinator from 1998 to 2001, ICNA vice chair from 2002 to 2004, ICNA chairperson 2004–2006. Finally, Jean was EPDC secretary from 2008 for several years because no-one wanted to let her go!
In the years when the annual conference featured a Branch Concert, Jean was instrumental in the Yorkshire Branch performance of It ain’t what you poo it’s the way that you poo it. . . while all dressed in black with yellow Marigold gloves on. Jean was presented with IPS honorary membership on her retirement, and in 2012 she was presented with the Dr Brendon Moore Award for her outstanding contribution to the Society and infection prevention and control. Even after retirement, Jean continued to attend the IPS annual conference and always enjoyed hanging out with Lynne Duncan on the IPS stand and catching up with friends and colleagues.
Jean was the lead editor and a chapter author for Infection Control in the Community (2003), which I am sure still has a place on many bookshelves today. She also recently revised and edited the infection prevention and control chapter with me in the Alexander’s Nursing Practice.
I have spoken with a number of people immediately following the news that Jean had died, and from the memories they have recalled, it is clear she had a massive impact on everyone she met. I would like to share some of them with you: “Jean always made me feel welcome and integrated within the team. Her enthusiasm, knowledge, organisation and hard work as an IPS member and in particular EPDC secretary was a hard act follow.” (Andrea Denton) “The first time I met Jean, I offered to make her a cup of tea and it was a pretty awful cup of tea. Now most people you don’t know would be very diplomatic if you made them a cup of tea that was rank, not Jean though – she asked me if my tea was anaemic! I’d put way too much milk in it and literally just dunked the tea bag in and out. We all burst out laughing and she showed me how to make a proper cup of tea.” (Lynne Duncan) “Jean was a legend, impossible shoes to fill. On a personal level, if friends can be your soulmate, she was mine.” (Rozila Horton) “Jean was an inspiration and funnily enough I followed her career path from the Royal National Orthopaedic hospital into IPC.” (Martin Kiernan) “Jean was one of my favourite people and was also pivotal in me becoming an independent researcher by agreeing to the ICNA collaboration in the community infection control study. She was a mine of information, a safe harbour in a storm and always supportive. One of the nicest people I have ever met.” (Heather Loveday) “Getting ready for IPS dinners was always a celebratory affair and I have never known anyone like Jean for having just that something she thought you might need. Jean was one of the kindest, most generous people I ever met.” (Carol Pellowe) “A true, yet understated leader with the biggest heart.” (Jacqui Prieto) “Most amazing lady.” (Jo Reynard) “Jean was a best friend. A kind, extremely organised lady with a zest for life and who also loved shopping with a passion! I had many photographs of luxurious shoes and bags WhatsApp’d to me. Jean had the great skill of encouraging and persuading others to do things they might have thought unachievable. I recently spent time with Jean and George. I shall miss her.” (Margaret Tannahill) “She could recognise talent and would encourage people no end. She was a legend.” (Gary Thirkell) “She was a wonderful person. She was one of the first ICNs I ever met when I started out on my career all those years ago. She let me copy her infection control policies!” (Jennie Wilson) “Jean was very kind to us when we were newbies in Leeds 25 years ago (she was Leeds community) and I was lucky to be ICNA secretary when she was chair – always been one of the nicest people.” (Neil Wigglesworth) “Over the years in infection prevention I got to know her more and I found her to be an amazing lady, whose kindness, warmth, knowledge and support guided us all in our infection prevention journey. She was a true Yorkshire legend.” (Donna Winter)
For me personally, Jean was one in a million. We met for the first time through the IPS Education and Professional Development committee. I knew instantly how special she was, and that was the start of a great friendship. We shared many laughs over the years, especially through the hilarious selfies she would send. Her last selfie made me laugh so much – only days before she died. It was a photo of her radiotherapy tattoo on her abdomen simply captioned: “great tits eh?”
Jean had the biggest personality with an even bigger heart. Even when she faced her toughest challenges after being diagnosed with cancer, she faced them with unparalleled hope, optimism and an abundance of courage. To quote Charles Swindoll, a piece she sent to me via her husband, George: “The remarkable thing is that we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. . . We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.”
Far greater than the grief we all share from Jean’s death is the love, happiness and kindness that she spread to others throughout her life. Our thoughts are with George and her family.