Ruptly Newsroom

I fear he will have a lonely death. Coronavirus is cruelly stealing from me, second by second, minute by minute, the chance to be by his side, to hold his hand, to gently caress his face while soothing him with tender words of love as I say goodbye.

Coronavirus will deprive our children of the opportunity to see their father one last time, hold and kiss him and feel his physical presence before he forever slips away from them. It means we cannot escort him, holding each others hands,on the last stretch of his final journey.

Our experience is not unique. This is happening all over the country as bodies lie anonymously in morgues and churches while families grieve their loss in the isolation of their homes. My husband has advanced Alzheimers disease.

Though often he is present and communicative his days were numbered. We expected no miracles and knew this time would come. What we did not expect was that the Coronavirus would so cruelly dictate the terms of his passing.

There will be no funeral. No chance to meet as a family and hold each other, united in our grief and love for him. He will slip away unnoticed in an anonymous black car and we will begin grieving our loss in our own homes and in different countries.

I'm reaching out through my pain in the hope that my experience and that of my children during these difficult times may help spread awareness of the deadly effect Coronavirus is having upon individuals, families and whole communities.

It's almost impossible to make sense of it all. I'm aware it must seem surreal to those removed from the devastating reality of life as we are living it here and now. I imagine that many are thinking this could not possibly happen to them.

I know many of you will carry on life as normal. Please don't. Please follow the prescribed measures no matter how stringent and difficult they are. Please help curb the Coronavirus spread.