Leek Post & Times

‘My uncle Greg was such an inspiratio­n’

Niece’s running challenge to buy ipads for families in hospital

- Kit Roberts newsdesk@reachplc.com

DEVOTED niece Emma Morris is running 28 miles in as many days in memory of her fitness-mad uncle who died from coronaviru­s.

Greg Hand tested positive for Covid in December last year and lost his fight with the virus last month.

The 62-year-old, who often frequented the gym and kept himself fit, had been like a second father to Emma and her brothers after they lost their dad, Greg’s brother John, in 2014.

Now Emma, from Cheadle, is taking on the challenge in honour of Greg to raise money for the Covid ward at the Royal Stoke University Hospital.

The 34-year-old said: “When he ended up in hospital just after New Year it was a bit of a concern but there was never any doubt in my mind that he would never get through it.

“We were never concerned, we thought he’s just going in to get a bit of extra help because he’s struggling getting it off his chest. He unexpected­ly took a turn for the worse and died. He was such an inspiratio­n and he was such a great uncle. He was the only part of my dad I had left.

“I saw him in a completely different way to being an uncle. He was the last part of my dad, and when he passed away it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was like losing my dad all over again.”

While Greg was in hospital visiting was restricted. The only face to face contact they could have was via video call.

This has inspired office administra­tor Emma to use the money she raises to buy ipads for the ward to help families keep in contact with their loved ones.

She added: “Because there’s not as many devices to go around so people can be continuous­ly talking to their families, they’ve always got to wait or book a time slot.

“I want them to be able to spend as much time as possible and not feel the pressure of ‘I’ve only got an hour’ or ‘today it’s on charge.’”

Emma has almost raised enough for three ipads, far more than the one she had initially hoped to buy.

She said: “They’ve got that form of communicat­ion and they had that, and they get to tell each other how much they love each other every day. It’s just so that if the worst did happen they’ve been able to tell each other they love each other.”

Anyone wishing to donate to Emma’s fundraiser can do so by visiting her Gofundme page.

 ??  ?? Emma Morris is running 28 miles in 28 days in memory of her uncle Greg Hand, inset below, and with his late brother John, left.
Emma Morris is running 28 miles in 28 days in memory of her uncle Greg Hand, inset below, and with his late brother John, left.

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