Stay-at-home plea to honour lives of our lost ‘angels’
TWO nurses in their 30s who died after contracting coronavirus while they battled the pandemic were honoured last night.
Aimee O’Rourke and Areema Nasreen, both mothers-of-three, were the latest NHS casualties in the crisis – which has now claimed at least four doctors and three nurses.
England’s chief nursing officer, Ruth May, said: “They were one of us, they were one of my profession, of the NHS family. I worry that there’s going to be more and I want to honour them today and recognise their service.”
Speaking in the daily Downing Street press conference, she added: “This weekend is going to be warm and it will be tempting to go out and enjoy those summer rays.
“But please, I ask to remember Aimee and Areema. Please stay at home for them.”
Aimee worked at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, Kent.
The 38-year-old, mother to daughters Megan, Mollie and Maddie, started to show symptoms two weeks ago. She passed away on Thursday. Friends hailed her as “one in a million” who “gave her life to make sure others survived”.
Daughter Megan, 23, described her as “an angel” and said she would “wear her NHS crown forever more”.
Areema, 36, is believed to be the youngest healthcare worker to have died after testing positive for the disease.
She worked at Walsall Manor Hospital, in the West Midlands, starting there 16 years ago as a housekeeper and qualifying as a staff nurse in January 2019. Areema, who had no known underlying health issues, developed symptoms on March 13 and tested positive a week later.
Her condition deteriorated rapidly and she was put on a ventilator in intensive care.
Sister Kazeema, a healthcare assistant at the same hospital, said: “I want everyone to know how dangerous this is.
“People are not taking this seriously enough. It is not just the elderly who are at risk.”
Health chiefs had praised Areema for smashing cultural barriers to achieve her dream of being a nurse. She became a cultural ambassador for the Royal College of Nursing.
Mike Adams, the RCN’s regional director, said: “To lose anyone to this terrible virus is a tragedy. To lose a nurse like Areema is particularly difficult.”
Health Secretary Matt Hancock also paid tribute last night to NHS staff who have died “serving the nation”.
He said: “It shows the incredible bravery of every member of the NHS who goes into work knowing these dangers are there.”