“Not every parting is a sorrow, and not every ending is a time for tears. Who does not recall the joy of the close of summer term? The running out of school the absence of a backward glance? It was a conclusion but also a commencement. The start of empty days and unaccounted time. Of something wonderful that beckoned, awaiting our embrace.”

Episode 5 dealt with several storylines. We had Eva Baldwin with her two daughters, Tracey and Sylvie, living in squalor with her alcoholic and abusive husband (Vincent) as she faced a pregnancy with undiagnosed twins at her birth; Mrs. Betty Desmond caring for her husband (Owen) who was in an iron lung due to his polio. As a couple, Betty faced a terminal liver cancer diagnosis. The children compete in the Poplar Common Wealth Games. Cyril returns with the news that Lucille wants a divorce, while Rosalind confides to Joyce that she has feelings for Cyril but would never act on them. And Miss Higgins’ grandson (Harry) realizes he wants to switch from dentistry to family medicine. 

A theme that I felt through the episode was witnessing providers who had a servant heart. 

We met characters or individuals who were experiencing extreme events. Betty and Eva were actually in dire situations, with one footsteps from death and the other in a tragic, abusive relationship. There was true beauty in seeing providers who noted their challenges and persisted – and persisted without abandoning them. They accompanied them on their personal journeys with outreached, loving, and supportive hands and hearts. 

On April 21st, 2025, this past week, the world lost Pope Francis and many of the actions of our characters (the midwives, nurses, and nuns) struck me as embracing and encompassing many characteristics that I admired in him. They displayed acts of selflessness, empathy, humility, sharing of their skills and knowledge, nonjudgmental behavior, and those extra touches that are done out of love. They truly displayed servant hearts. It got me ready to reflect on our varied storylines and how their servant hearts helped their patients, their families, but also simultaneously strengthened them along the way!! 

What are characteristics of a servant heart and a servant leader? It is important to see the need and then really prioritize those needs – even over your own needs. We saw how this can exhaust someone, even our amazing Sister Julienne. 

Midwifery and nursing, when done well, is a true calling. Humility is something that we have witnessed a lot over these last days with the stories of Pope Francis, and we see this with our nuns and midwives. It is really acknowledging that you are part of something and stronger together without the need of ego. It is carrying out your work in a genuine way because you truly care, and you have and show empathy to others. You really lead by example with integrity, and, because of this, you are seen as trustworthy. You help those that you are assisting by empowering them through engagement, listening, and valuing them. We saw Shelagh and Sister Julienne doing this. 

You are building relationships through positivity and inclusivity. Everyone can feel welcomed – regardless of their situation. You see the need in your patient, family, or community and you approach care with courage and compassion. We saw Sister Julienne doing this even when she was exhausted and feeling depleted herself. 

The storyline of Owen Desmond and the complications from polio really touched me. For episode 4, I blogged about the measles vaccination. I had written about Dr. John Enders. Ironically he also played a crucial role in the development of the polio vaccine. His work, alongside Thomas Weller and Frederick Robbins, led to their 1954 Nobel Prize in Medicine. They developed tissue culture techniques that helped in the cultivation of the viruses (poliovirus and the measles virus). This paved the way for the creation of the vaccines. It is hard to believe in the early part of the 1950s there were 25,000 to 50,000 new cases of polio each year. 

You can see how incredible it was when vaccinations were discovered to control and then eventually eradicate polio from many parts of the world. Jonas Salk and Albert Bruce Sabin both developed separate polio vaccines in 1955. One was from killed virus and the other from live virus. 

The Salk vaccine is the inactivated polio vaccine, using a killed virus, while the Sabin vaccine is the oral polio vaccine, using a live, attenuated (weakened) virus. It was too bad that our character Owen did not have this vaccine! And it is cautionary as we are seeing a resurgence in polio. Pakistan and Afghanistan are seeing increases in this disease. And the cuts in USAID contracts that support polio vaccination raise my concerns that other countries may soon see a resurgence as well.

At the beginning of the episode, we meet Betty and Owen Desmond as Shelagh does a home visit to assist with bedsores, and we really got to see their loving and intense bond. Shelagh was really vigilant in her observational skills and noted Owen’s wife, Betty, appeared jaundiced. There were arrangements and coordination that needed to occur since Owen was in an iron lung. 

When people are the caregivers, they often do not have much personal time. It is essential that they have respite time to meet their own needs or recharge themselves; however, this is easier said than done! I cannot imagine what it would be like to have a partner that cannot leave the house and is constrained by an iron lung. An iron lung is a type of negative pressure ventilator to assist with breathing when someone has lost control of their respiratory muscles. Most of the entire body is enclosed as the mechanical respirator varies air pressure.

Shelagh helped the couple as they faced Betty’s diagnosis and helped them as she died. She really honored their connection and love by typing and framing a Shakespearian sonnet/poem. Their shared love of reading these was a beautiful way to bridge their minds and relationship. 

As providers, we are often faced with life and death situations or witness individual’s personal traumas. It can weigh heavily on us, and, at times, we can be stretched. In this episode, we did witness how going that extra mile and doing those extra touches can have a lasting impact on others and also feeds our own souls. The act of helping others and really engaging can rejuvenate us. 

Sister Julienne saw a true need with Eva. She did not give up on her even though she rejected help at the beginning. She persisted and persisted and because of her skill she really saved Eva from potential tragedy. After this we did see a shift whereby Sister Julienne says, “For the first time in a long time, I am not tired at all.” She shares with Sister Catherine that she is not always certain and that, “Sometimes, I feel lost. Sometimes I feel exhausted. Sometimes I feel I don't know where I'm going to find the strength to fight another day. And then I am reminded why I am here; how much I can do and who sustains me.” 

Thank you, Call the Midwife, for reminding others to see people – look up and around and engage and reach out a helping hand when you can. Do not judge. Your actions can change a life and strengthen yourself along the way. 

“Sometimes, a heart is shattered and yet must go on beating. Brutal though the end may be, it is not silent, nor is the parting absolute. The new beginning has arrived, and the rhythm will get stronger. Listen for it. Savor it. Wait for what it brings. We can never know what life will demand of us. How far we must travel, or leap; what feats of strength, or survival, or skill, will be required. Our time on this earth is not one race, but many. We compete, we endure, we finish. And then – too often – we must start again. These are the rules all humankind must play by, but faith in ourselves is our lasting reward.”