We meet on a sunny afternoon at a lovely café. Michaela looks elegant, sipping a cool drink. In contrast, I face battle with the chewiest of pastries, splattering flakes and having to interrupt our conversation with coughs and dry swallows. I decide that future interview refreshments must be only water.

I cannot quite believe that young Michaela wanted to go into paediatric healthcare as a child. Her mother was a nurse, so perhaps she got a sense of the profession of caring from her. A young lodger came to stay: a student studying Dietetics. This provided Michaela with a clear future pathway.