"It's tough to be in isolation but it's a lot tougher burying your granddaughter"

1 May 2020, 16:51

This caller told LBC how she tragically lost her granddaughter to coronavirus in response to a previous caller playing down the impact of coronavirus.

A month ago yesterday, Sarah tragically lost her 19 year old granddaughter to the disease - she had underlying health conditions but of course her family did not expect her to die and so soon.

To those people who are underestimating the virus, Sarah said: "I wouldn't want anyone to be put in our shoes...but if they could have shadowed our lives over the last six weeks I think they would have changed their mind.

"Even when she passed she had no one there, not because of the hospital's fault, it's just they lost so many people in this hospital, they said they couldn't guarantee our safety. They were absolutely brilliant. They took the phone, we could talk to her over the phone, they were marvellous.

"If someone had seen from start to finish what we went through, not just us but what these doctors, nurses, care workers have to do in the hospital, he might change his mind."

Sarah told Shelagh how they could not have a proper funeral for her granddaughter which was "absolutely horrendous."

"If people don't heed on the advice, this will come back in several months time and who knows what it will do then, who knows. From someone who does know, yes it is tough to be in isolation but it's a lot tougher burying your granddaughter."

The family still cannot believe it has happened - within two weeks of being tested her granddaughter had gone, she said.

"We tried not to phone to often [the hospital] too because we knew they were overwhelmed, but when we did phone, they would don their gear and take messages and hold phones to patients' ears."

Sarah said of the previous caller that if he'd heard and seen what she had, he would not feel calm about the disease.

"It's scary really."