Family’s joy as loved ones beat COVID-19
The family of a vulnerable East Kilbride woman say it is“nothing short of a miracle”she survived a deadly coronavirus diagnosis.
Gail Macmillan has a number of underlying health conditions having suffered a massive brain haemorrhage in her late 30s.
The 57-year-old spent several years in Hairmyres Hospital and has been left bed bound and in need of constant care.
A resident of Whitehills Care Home for 15-years now, her sister-in law told us the family expected the worst when they learned of the coronavirus outbreak.
Heather Macmillan said they feared Gail“wouldn’t make it through the night”. At the same time, Heather was worried for her elderly mum, Wilma Thomson.
The 79-year-old is also in Whitehills and began to show symptoms of COVID-19 shortly after Gail tested positive.
But, against all odds, both women are now recovering – and Heather says they are“beyond grateful”to the staff at Whitehills where 11 residents have now sadly died from the disease.
Heather told us:“It is a miracle Gail is
still alive after this, that’s the only way to describe it.
“Gail is so very vulnerable and we were living in fear of it getting into the home.
“She was one of the first who tested positive and we all resigned ourselves to the fact this was the end for her – people a lot healthier than Gail have lost their fight against this disease.”
A whistleblower last week revealed concerns over the way the outbreak had been managed at the home.
They told us how staff are being put in harm’s way without the proper PPE, how they must give up their annual leave and PAY for staff meals amid the pandemic.
Working multiple 12-hour-plus shifts back-to-back, the staff member laid bare the gruelling shifts expected of staff and how bank nursing staff threatened to WALK OUT over working conditions.
But Heather said without the dedication of everyone at the care home, Gail would not be with them now.
She added: “There have been so many times my husband and I have had calls saying Gail wasn’t going to make it.
“When she became so ill this time medical staff stayed with her through the night. They monitored her continually and she has continued to improve.”
Heather’s mum moved into the home at the beginning of the year and carers at the home contacted the family immediately to advise that Wilma also had symptoms of coronavirus.
Heather, from East Mains, told the
News: “She had the cough, but she was a heavy smoker for years and I’ve always known her to have a cough.
“She told us she generally felt like a wrung-out blanket and was in her bed for several days. The home treated her as if she was positive.
“She was put in isolation, all the procedures were followed and we were given daily updates on her condition and care – we couldn’t fault Whitehills in any way.”
Heather believes support for the care sector has been lacking during the coronavirus outbreak, saying it was “too slow in coming”.
But she is hopeful the pandemic will have a silver lining, leading to improved care in the future.
She added: “It is a vicious circle. “There have been staff absences, and I don’t know whether Whitehills has been harder hit than others, but I firmly believe it is in no way a reflection on the home, the staff or management.
“The support was too slow in coming for the care sector and who knows, maybe a positive that can come for all this is that lessons will be learned.
“My family have been among the lucky ones. We are so thankful for that.”
Lynne Mekshi manages Whitehills and said Gail and Wilma’s recovery was “even more heartening at a time like this”.
She added: “They’re well-loved members of our community at Whitehills, so everyone is extremely glad to see them getting back to themselves.”