A widow has shared her heartbreaking account of her husband’s final moments after he died from coronavirus the day before their 43rd wedding anniversary.
The 68-year-old woman, believed to be from the UK and referred to as Hannah as she did not wish to be identified, contracted Covid-19 first – and days later John, a retired accountant, also fell ill.
As his condition worsened, Hannah phoned for an ambulance and John then spent a week alone in hospital as he wasn’t allowed visitors due to the current lockdown measures.
When he took a turn for the worst, Hannah said she was shocked to be told John would not be put on a ventilator but offered palliative care.
A widow has shared her heartbreaking account of her husband’s final moments after he died from coronavirus the day before their 43rd wedding anniversary. Pictured: stock image
He spoke to their sons on the phone to say his goodbyes and Hannah called their rector, who read the prayers for the marriage vow renewal service before John’s breathing aids were removed.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today show, Hannah recalled how John’s breathing became ‘really, really laboured’, adding: ‘It is not a nice, quiet way to go, it is not a gentle death to start with.’
John passed away just over a week ago. Hannah said: ‘This is such a cruel disease. Apart from the medical staff that he saw when he had to, John was alone for a week. I was alone at home and I’m now alone at home.
‘Nobody can give me a hug, my friends have rallied round, my church and everybody have been fabulous, but nobody can give me a hug, and I’m not lonely, I want to make that clear I’m not lonely, but I am alone.’
Hannah told the programme she was ‘fearful’ about her husband catching the virus due to the fact he was seven years older than her and had mild controlled asthma.
‘I have since been advised there’s nothing I could have done, that I would have been infectious long before I knew it and that it was almost inevitable he would get it,’ she said.
After he contracted the virus, Hannah said he gradually got worse but was scared of going into hospital.
‘He was fearful that if he went in he wouldn’t come out. Although I kept trying to reassure him that wasn’t the case,’ she said.
‘Then at three o’clock in the morning he was having a terrible coughing fit. The ambulance was with us in about 25 minutes and of course I couldn’t go with him and as I shut the door behind him it crossed my mind that I might never see him again.’
Days after his admission, John was moved into the private wing of the hospital which they were using as a high dependency unit, where he was put on a CPAP machine to aid his breathing.
‘On the Wednesday morning when I phoned to see how he was they said he was not doing so well,’ Hannah recalled.
‘I said, “If he gets worse will you ventilate him?” and the nurse said, “We wouldn’t ventilate him, we would be making him comfortable,” which I know are the words they use for palliative care. This was a big shock, I had no idea he was quite that ill.
‘In the meantime John had spoken to both of our boys on the phone briefly and they told me he’d said goodbye to them. About quarter to ten at night the night nurse phoned me and she said that John had said he’d had enough, mentally and physically, he’d had enough.
‘We are Christians and he was ready to go. So I drove to the hospital. She said we could have some time together and when we were ready she would take him off the CPAP and his breathing would become more difficult and they would help with medication.”
At that point Hannah phoned their rector, who said: ‘I believe you have a special day tomorrow?’
‘Friday was to be our 43rd wedding anniversary and over the speakerphone the rector read the prayers for the marriage vow renewal service that John was able to hear and then we said our goodbyes, sort of, and the nurse took the mask off him and gave him some medication and I was able to hold his hand,’ Hannah continued.
‘I was able to kiss his forehead as he got more and more distressed. At that point I said, “Do you want anything else, or peace?” and he put his thumb up for peace.
The emotional interview, recorded by correspondent Dan Johnson, touched many listeners at home, with several taking to Twitter to express their sympathy
‘So I WhatsApped my son in Canada and they were able to talk to John sort of remotely we then woke up my other son and daughter-in-law who live in India and we ended up having this five-way conversation.’
Hannah told how she began to notice a change in her husband’s breathing as it became less noisy, and she WhatsApped her children before calling for the nurse.
‘She came in and observed John for a minute, there was a slight exhalation, she then put her hand on his chest and she nodded to me and she said, “Yes, he’s gone”,’ Hannah said.
The emotional interview, recorded by correspondent Dan Johnson, touched many listeners at home, with several taking to Twitter to express their sympathy.
Wessel Van Rensburg commented: ‘These interviews on Today with the partners of people that have died from Covid is harrowing. It’s a brutal disease, you can’t say goodbye, die alone.’
Chris Worthing added: ‘The lack of hugs is so understandable.’