A grandmother-of-five who hadn’t seen her grandchildren for a year due to shielding has died from coronavirus.
Debbie Ling, who was forced to isolate due to underlying health problems – passed away aged 47 just days after being diagnosed with Covid-19 last month.
Her devastated family are baffled as to how she managed to catch the virus, having been at home in Willenhall, Walsall, since this time last year, reports BirminghamLive.
Daughter Amy Cornforth, 26, has urged everyone who gets the chance to have a vaccine to take it, adding: “My mum was desperate for it – but it didn’t come in time.”
Debbie, who had three children, had seen her grandkids on video calls and was looking forward to finally being to see them in person, with restrictions due to be lifted in the coming weeks.
The “beautiful, caring and loyal” mum and grandmother had never flouted lockdown rules and was determined to keep herself and her close-knit family safe, Amy said.
Debbie was taken to Walsall Manor Hospital last month, after she was diagnosed with Covid and her symptoms began to worsen.
Amy said: “She wasn’t getting any better and was taken to hospital. We were concerned but really thought she’d be ok.
“She was on 100 per cent oxygen for days. Then we took a call from the hospital to say they were going to ventilate her. Even then we didn’t think she would die.
“Early the next morning we had a call to say things weren’t looking good and she wasn’t going to make it. We weren’t prepared for her passing away. We rushed to the hospital to be with her but she had already gone.”
Amy said her four children were very close to their grandmother and would see her every other day before the pandemic.
“She hadn’t seen my kids throughout the pandemic and that really upset her. She couldn’t see them on their birthdays and she was devastated.
“It’s been so hard to explain it to the kids. None of us are coping and we can’t come to terms with it.”
Amy urged people to press ahead with their vaccines, despite new worries over the Oxford AstraZeneca jab.
“My mum was…looking forward to seeing her grandkids the most and taking them out.
“Now she is going to miss my kids growing up and it isn’t fair.”
The family are trying to raise £2,000 to give Debbie the send-off she deserves.
Visit the GoFundMe page to read more and contribute.