A child cancer nurse has died from coronavirus as her friend paid tribute to the ‘accident-prone, stubborn, chatterbox’ who ‘helped more people than most will in a lifetime’.
Rebecca Mack, from Newcastle, died aged 29 and friends have taken to social media to pay tribute to her today.
Her heartbroken best friend, Sarah Bredin-Kemp, revealed her sorrow in a touching post about the medic on Facebook.
She wrote: ‘Becca was one of the best friends I’ve ever had. She was a devoted friend, an incredible nurse and a unapologetically imperfect person: She was the most accident-prone, stubborn, chatterbox with a bizarre catchphrase and inappropriate joke for every occasion.
Rebecca Mack (pictured) died aged 29 after contracting coronavirus, her friends said today
Tributes have poured in for Rebecca Mack (pictured), a child cancer nurse from Newcastle who’s died from coronavirus
Rebecca (pictured) has been praised by friends on social media after dying of coronavirus
‘Her iconic love of leopard print and statement earrings was rivaled only by Pat Butcher herself.
‘She would never take ‘I’m busy, I’m not coming to the pub’ as an answer. She was useless at hiding her emotions: she would just describe things she didn’t like as as ‘interesting’ or ‘alternative’, with an expression of pure loathing.
‘She was a high maintenance, foot-in-mouth oversharer with a love of cheesy music, crappy tv and an inexplicable hatred of small animals.
‘But she would be the first in line to tell you off when you were doubting yourself.
‘She was honest, warm and charismatic. She worked hard and made her family proud every single day.’
Rebecca’s colleague, Jamie Young, added: ‘Today, the NHS lost an absolutely amazing and beautiful nurse, myself and my colleagues lost the most tremendous clinician. At the age of just 29, she had her entire life ahead of her.’
Cheryl Murphy said: ‘Tonight we light a candle for a kind caring nurse who sadly lost her life to covid-19 just starting her life getting ready to buy her first home always smiling rest in paradise and if any one can learn something from this please stay at home and stay safe keep your babies home!’
It comes after a ‘completely dedicated’ 70-year-old nurse who served the NHS for 44 years has died from the coronavirus.
Alice Kit Tak Ong, 70, died from the virus on Tuesday morning, two weeks after being admitted to the Royal Free hospital in London.
Her family have since said she was ‘dedicated’ to her work and continued to work until the moment she fell ill.
This is while a doctor caring for patients with the coronavirus has also died of the deadly disease after being admitted to intensive care just days before his death.
Dr Anton Sebastianpillai is the thirteenth frontline medic to die from the virus. So far in the UK there have been 6,159 deaths from the disease, with over 55,000 confirmed cases.
NHS nurse Alice Kit Tak Ong died from the coronavirus, she moved to the UK when she was 23-years-old to study nursing
Dr Anton Sebastianpillai is the thirteenth frontline medic to die from the virus. So far in the UK there have been 6,159 deaths from the disease
The consultant geriatrician died on Saturday at Kingston Hospital in South West London after he was admitted to its intensive care unit on March 31.
In a statement, a spokesman for the hospital said Dr Anton had completed his last shift with the hospital on March 20.
‘It is with great sadness that I confirm the death of a consultant geriatrician who was part of the team…Dr Anton Sebastianpillai died on Saturday 4 April 2020 having been cared for in the hospital’s intensive care unit since March 31.
‘Dr Sebastianpillai completed his last shift with us on March 20 and we would like to extend our sincere condolences to his family.’
The Peradeniya Medical School Alumni Association of the United Kingdom said the doctor had retired from his career and had volunteered to work with Covid-19 patients.
Dr Anton Sebastianpillai died on Saturday at Kingston Hospital in South West London on Saturday
London has been the worst hit are of the UK, with 1,353 deaths and over 11,000 cases.
Speaking to The Guardian today, Ms Ong’s daughter said her mother had spent her life helping others.
Melissa Ong said her mother ‘loved her job and she loved her patients’.
‘She was completely dedicated to her work, that’s what she was doing until the moment she was taken ill’, she said.
It is believed that she may have contracted the disease while working at a hospital without protective equipment.
She had first come to the UK at just 23-year-old to study nursing.
The government and NHS England have been criticised for the lack of protective equipment such as face masks and gloves that have been provided to health care workers battling with the disease.
