Two frontline heroes talked about the difficulties they encountered caring for Covid-19 patients while still juggling their duties as mothers. They said it was impossible for them to be away from their families at the pandemic's height because they worked long hours.

As they worked around the clock to help avoid the Covid-19 pandemic, mothers educated their children over the phone and read bedtime stories to them.

Separation was often painful, but they understood it was important to keep them safe. In several nations, Mother's Day is commemorated on 21^st March.

Zainab Fahim, 53, has been a nurse in the United Arab Emirates since 1991. The Covid-19 pandemic confronted her with new challenges. When she used to get exhausted from the challenges of pandemic, her son Mohammed Attia, 25, daughter Maryam Attia, 22, and husband Yasser Attia encouraged her.

"At the onset of the pandemic, it was tough. Throughout the week, I had to work nonstop. It was tough, but my husband was positive and helpful. Cleaning, laundry and dishwashing were all done unanimously. I was most afraid of taking the infection with me," Ms Fahim said.

Ms Fahim used separate rooms at home to keep her family safe. She worked as a nurse for infectious diseases at the Preventive Medicine Centre in Umm Al Quwain and was inspired to assist patients. She wants to support other people because it made her feel good. It was an awesome feeling from someone to respect her job and praying for her well-being.

Ramya Radhakrishnan, 36, a nurse in the UAE, said she had to be away from her children for nearly a month. She works in the Kuwaiti Hospital in Sharjah's critical isolation unit.

When her son Adhvaith, 8, and daughter Ridhika, 4, had to stay in a hotel at the peak of the pandemic, they were upset. Ms Radhakrishnan admits that she was nervous and stressed. She was terrified of being infected and infecting her kin. It was for the first time that she had been away from them. Every day, she just used to see them through video calls.

Mrs Fahim and Ms Radhakrishnan are only two of the Frontline Heroes Office's honorees for making personal sacrifices in this fight against the pandemic. This office was founded in July 2020, and for the nationwide initiative. Around 100,000 positions deemed vital to the battle against Covid-19 have been listed.

Ms Radhakrishnan read bedtime stories to her children through phone and video calls when she wasn't working. She supported her children with their studies. At times, she would share her experiences, which they use to listen attentively. "Managing work, house, and family was extremely difficult for me," she admitted. Abhilash Nambillipurath, her husband, took time off work to assist their children. On Mother's Day, she said, her children normally made her cards, but she was waiting to see what they had planned this year.