A frontline healthcare worker in Dubai got the surprise of her life when four sporting legends surprised her with the ultimate round of golf.
Sports fanatic Dr Eleanor McCarthy said she was left speechless when Ryder Cup players Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Tommy Fleetwood joined her on the golf course on Tuesday to thank her for efforts made during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr McCarthy, a family physician at King’s College Hospital London in Dubai, thought she was visiting the course to shoot a short video about the effects of coronavirus on the medical community.
“When I turned around and saw Ian Poulter walking towards me I couldn’t speak,” the mother of three said.
"If you know me, you know I never struggle for something to say so it was obvious that I was just blown away.
“I didn’t manage to get a hole in one on the day but I did get some handy tips from the players.
“My bunker shots are definitely better now and Ian taught me how to readjust my grip too.”
Two time DP World Tour Championship winner, Henrik Stenson, also joined the group for a few swings at the Jumeirah Golf Estates.
Dr McCarthy, from Northern Ireland, started work at the hospital in March, just days after the pandemic was declared and cases in the city started to rise.
Over the past few months, she has come face to face with many Covid-19 patients.
With three young children at home, she said it has been a tough ride but Tuesday’s surprise helped to instil a sense of normality again.
“It has been hard, it’s been difficult, but this is part and parcel of my job and I love what I do,” she said.
“Coming in from a work shift all I wanted to do was kiss my husband, hug my kids and play with my cat but I’ve really had to be conscious about keeping my distance.
“I only started playing golf about 18 months ago but I’ve grown up watching it and we go to the tournaments in Dubai every year.
“You usually get to see the players up close when they’re competing but to actually play a round with them and chat and laugh, that’s an altogether different kind of buzz.”
Due to her role on the frontline, Dr McCarthy, her husband and her three young children had to isolate from friends and family for more than four months to reduce the risk of catching or passing on the virus.
The golf experience was arranged by DP World and the European Tour ahead of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
The day out was filmed as part of a short documentary, Doctor's Day: Our True Heroes, to shine a light on the amazing work that frontline heroes have done globally.
Poulter said it was an honour to give a little something back to someone who has sacrificed so much.
“Our worlds have been turned upside down this year but it’s thanks to Ellie and so many others that our situations are improving,” he said.
“There are hundreds of thousands of incredible doctors and nurses around the world who are doing remarkable jobs and it was a pleasure for me to give her an experience she could truly enjoy”.
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
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- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
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- loss of confidence and appetite
- irritability and emotional outbursts
- sadness
- persistent physical ailments such as headaches, frequent infections and fatigue
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- impaired judgement
- excessive and continuous worrying
- irregular sleep patterns
Tips to help overcome burnout
Acknowledge how you are feeling by listening to your warning signs. Set boundaries and learn to say ‘no’
Do activities that you want to do as well as things you have to do
Undertake at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. It releases an abundance of feel-good hormones
Find your form of relaxation and make time for it each day e.g. soothing music, reading or mindful meditation
Sleep and wake at the same time every day, even if your sleep pattern was disrupted. Without enough sleep condition such as stress, anxiety and depression can thrive.
Wallabies
Updated team: 15-Israel Folau, 14-Dane Haylett-Petty, 13-Reece Hodge, 12-Matt Toomua, 11-Marika Koroibete, 10-Kurtley Beale, 9-Will Genia, 8-Pete Samu, 7-Michael Hooper (captain), 6-Lukhan Tui, 5-Adam Coleman, 4-Rory Arnold, 3-Allan Alaalatoa, 2-Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1-Scott Sio.
Replacements: 16-Folau Faingaa, 17-Tom Robertson, 18-Taniela Tupou, 19-Izack Rodda, 20-Ned Hanigan, 21-Joe Powell, 22-Bernard Foley, 23-Jack Maddocks.
