Heartbreak as mother and daughter lost to Covid within weeks of each other
A devastated son has told of losing his mother and sister to Covid within a month of each other – as the family launched a hospital fundraiser in their memory.
The whole Bains family were hit by coronavirus shortly after Christmas – with 11 of them testing positive for the virus.
Tragically, mother Kashmir, aged 65, and her eldest daughter Paramjeet, 43, both died with the virus after spending time in intensive care at New Cross Hospital, in Wolverhampton.
Kashmir’s son Indy, who also battled Covid, has launched a fundraising appeal for New Cross Hospital in their memory – with nearly £10,000 being raised already as donations have flooded in.
Indy said the hospital staff were “true heroes” and the fundraising was a “small way of saying thank you to them” after the tragedies.
Indy’s younger sister Ambi was the first to get symptoms around December 28 and later testing positive.
Her husband and three children all then tested positive – followed by Indy, his wife and son, as well as their mother Kashmir, father Nash and older sister Paramjeet.
Ambi was taken to New Cross after her symptoms worsened, as well as both Paramjeet and Kashmir. But sadly Paramjeet died on January 5, followed by Kashmir on February 2.
Indy said: "My sister began to get the symptoms around December 28 and took the test alongside her husband and three children, before finding out they were all positive.
"My wife started to feel symptoms not long after, before I then began to feel ill, being bed-bound and unable to walk to the kitchen without being out of breath."
Mr Bains said his mother and sisters began to get really ill over the new year, with Ambi being taken to New Cross Hospital by ambulance on January 2 as her symptoms worsened.
He said that his mother, who acted as full-time carer for his sister Paramjeet due to her downs syndrome, had a worryingly low blood oxygen level and, as the ambulance came to pick her up, they noticed how ill Paramjeet was.
He said: "We found that Paramjeet was really struggling as, because of her condition, she kept waking up and going to the bathroom, but was getting very dizzy.
"The paramedics checked her blood oxygen level, but couldn't detect a level, so they called another ambulance to check her levels, but that again couldn't get a reading."
Intensive care
Both Paramjeet and Kashmir were taken to New Cross Hospital and put into intensive care on January 4.
Mr Bains said Paramjeet had been struggling to understand why she had to wear a CPAP mask and as her condition worsened, he said he was desperately trying to help her as she struggled with the mask.
He said: "The mask covered most of her face and she found it really uncomfortable and didn't want to keep it on.
"It was heartbreaking for us as my dad and I kept begging her to keep it on, but she just couldn't do it."
Paramjeet suffered a major seizure and died on January 5 at the age of 43, surrounded by her family.
Over the next few days, Ambi's condition improved and she was subsequently able to leave the hospital, but the trauma of seeing her oldest daughter pass away had taken its toll on 65-year-old Kashmir.
Mr Bains said his 65-year-old mother battled the virus for another three weeks, but died after the family made the heartbreaking decision to turn off the life support machines on February 2.
Mr Bains said he had been on the verge of hospitalisation himself, with a number of visits to New Cross for x-rays and CT scans to check for blood clots, but he was fully recovered .
He said he wanted to raise the funds for the trust as a thank you for everything they did to help him and his family during their time in New Cross hospital and afterwards.
He said: "Since the start of this year, it has been such a difficult time for the family and I just remember how good the trust was in terms of the support they gave us.
"We would ring regularly and I knew they were always rushed off their feet, but they were always polite and took the time to explain what was happening.
"When my sister was about to pass away, she and my mum were on different wards and they quickly rushed around and brought them together so we could be together as a family at the end, and I really appreciated that."
Mr Bains said the fundraising, which was by donation on a Just Giving page, was a way to show gratitude, something he said his mother had taught him about giving to charity.
The fund has already raised nearly £10,000, with Mr Bains saying there was no limit as to how far it could go, and he said it was also a way of raising awareness of the effects of Covid on everyone.
He said: "There are people out there who still think it's not real, but my sister was only 43 and my mum 65 and it just came on so quickly for them.
"We were able to go into the ICU and see them and the PPE was so uncomfortable, so you imagine what the staff are going through each day.
"They are true heroes and they deserve all the respect and recognition, so this is a small way of saying thank you to them."
Leanne Bood, fundraising co-ordinator for The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity, said: “It is so humbling when families that have lost loved ones want to give something back by supporting the incredible work of the Trust and our hard working staff.
“We were overwhelmed that the page has raised nearly £10,000 in such a short amount of time. Thank you to everyone that contributed, it will help Intensive Care Unit and Acute Medical Unit immensely.”
To donate to the fund, go to justgiving.com/fundraising/pbains
