When Gez Ossai awoke from his covid-induced coma in 2020, his first thoughts were for the residents of his care home.
“It was all he could worry about,” explains his wife Amy, 46, who lives with him in Longford, Gloucestershire.
“I said come on Gez you’re seriously ill in hospital here, I’m not going to bring your laptop in!”
This dedication to his job as care home manager is exactly why judges chose Gez, 58, as the winner of the Daily Mirror’s carer competition for Thank You Day, which meant he got to meet Tony Christie.
Gez was able to dine with Amarillo singer Tony, 80, who was recently diagnosed with dementia, as well as watch him record his charity cover of Andrew Gold 1978 hit Thank You For Being A Friend, which raises money for the disease.
The single, out on July 2, was recorded for Music for Dementia and will also feature other carers representing Britain’s army of unsung heroes.
Gez says, “Tony was such a nice person, a kind human being. He wasn’t aloof or anything like that. He spent time, he spoke to everybody.
"We went out for lunch and he was talking about his journey, for want of a better term, but he essentially is not worried about the progression of the illness as long at the moment.
"He’s quite happy because it doesn’t prevent him from doing what he loves doing, which is singing and performing.”
Gez knows a lot about Tony’s illness because he is general manager at Wentworth Court Dementia Specialist Home in Cheltenham.
The father-of-four works tirelessly in his role, getting into work at 4 am, and often stays until about 7 pm - but he does this because he finds it rewarding.
“I get paid to spend time with friends. That’s how it seems. We look after 65 people. It’s very taxing mentally but that’s what makes it even more enjoyable.
"I work with a team of people that don’t look for recognition or anything like that people just do it because that’s just how they are.
"They’re very, very empathetic, and something that you can switch on or off, “ Gez explains.
Gez decided to become a carer after his first wife became ill with cancer, and passed away in 2003.
After seeing how fulfilled and hardworking the people that cared for his wife were, he decided to quit his job as an accountant to pursue a full-time career in care.
Aside from helping others Gez also has a disability that makes walking difficult.
He has gone through personal tragedy himself, having lost their daughter, Chichi, in 2020, and their daughter Jasmine being stillborn last July.
Despite this, Gez is unwaveringly selfless and positive in helping others, and often talks at schools and runs workshops as well as having met with the Prime Minister and the King Charles and Queen Camilla.
“It’s a passion. It is what I do for a living, but I live it, I actually live it. Wherever I can I talk to people about dementia," he says.
"I talk to people about looking after people with dementia, because you could say that to one person, that person might say, ‘Well, that sounds really good.’ And they then take up work in the care sector.”
Gez may have inspired many people already, but his son Isaac, eight, is decidedly set to follow in his father’s footsteps. "I want to be a carer AND a footballer," says the young boy.
Amy says that Gez balances being a hands-on dad with his round-the-clock work.
“If I’ve got a busy day, If I say will you pick up Isaac on your way back he will do and then they’ll often go back to work or be taking phone calls in the evening,” she explains.
And it seems Tony was just as delighted to meet with Gez, as he was him.
The much-loved performer says, “It was an honour and delight to meet Gez and to have him be part of my forthcoming charity record, Thank You For Being A Friend, for Music for Dementia.
"Having spoken to Gez I can now see why he was chosen to win the Mirror’s national competition for a deserving carer.
"He is an inspiration, and was great fun to have around the recording studio on the day!”
To register your interest or simply find out more about Thank You Day and the wider ways you can get involved visit https://thankyouday.org.uk/music/ .
