This last year has been a very challenging one for us, and I have no doubt for all of our clients as well. From getting the denomination of essential service so all our employees could come to work and prepare samples, and perform all activities related to our programs, to try to keep ourselves as healthy as possible as any casualty in this state of affairs would have meant a disruption of services, everything required impeccable management and coordination.
I would have never imagined that I would check my son’s daycare family activity pack and wandered “How on earth did they get hold of aspirating pipettes? We have them back ordered for months!!!”
In desperation we opened boxes stored for years containing glass serological pipettes we thought belonged to the chemistry museum; we found glass aspirating pipettes but would we find the rubber bulbs?
We resorted to using all the tubes samples the sales associates had sent us over the years, samples were prepared with a mix and match pool of tubes (we really tried that each lab at least would get one type of tube!); we looked at each other with suspicion, knowing that someone had somewhere in the lab a stash of supplies being reserved for something else. The arrival of any shipment was celebrated as a World cup final, our courier guys feeling like heroes.
I would have never imagined that I would check my son’s daycare family activity pack and wandered “How on earth did they get hold of aspirating pipettes? We have them back ordered for months!!!”
Arriving to a time where we can see the light at the end of the tunnel has been a challenge and it required much effort, team work, and creativity from all of us.
We were not alone in this process; many people supported us during this time while still dealing with their own crazy time and crisis. Our committee members picked up even more work when writing critiques as our editor was on parental leave for some months into the pandemic; our clients showed incredible patience when results couldn’t be posted on the expected day; and all our partners continued to support us and provide for us even though they were going through the same challenges than us.
To all of them, our deepest thanks; it is a pleasure working with you and for you.
Veronica Restelli, Editor
