‘The sooner that people do what’s asked, the sooner we’ll get out of it - and stop losing people we love’
OWEN ON THE LOSS OF HIS DAD TO COVID, AGED 57
A STUDENT who has spoken of his heartbreak at losing his dad to Covid-19 last year has urged everyone to follow the lockdown restrictions in the hope it will bring the pandemic to an end.
Owen Rodbard, 19, who is studying sports marketing at university, lost his dad, Gary, 57, of Leicester, at the start of the pandemic, before people realised the full horror.
He is now doing a run to raise money for the hospital which cared for his dad in his final days.
Recalling the ordeal, he said: “Dad called to say he thought he had it. At that time no one had any idea about what was about to happen. We had no idea the world as we knew it was about to change completely.
“He said he had symptoms and we almost laughed it off, but the next day he sent a text to say that he had been taken to hospital as a precaution, he said they were doing tests.
“By then we were in lockdown and I was away at uni, so I couldn’t get back but he didn’t seem too concerned.
“Not long after I spoke to him, it was just before midnight I think, I sent a text and he didn’t reply.
“I assumed he was asleep or having more tests but then a nurse called and said he’d been put in a coma and I wouldn’t be able to talk to him anymore.”
Owen waited for updates but medics didn’t have much to report. His dad, a member of Leicester CAMRA, would go on to spend 18 days on a ventilator.
“Nurses would call and keep me updated but there wasn’t a lot they could say at the time, not very much was known about the virus then,” Owen recalls.
“I’m sure they’re able to tell families more now, but then they would just let me know he was still on the ventilator and report his stats.”
Despite his treatment, Gary’s condition declined suddenly and he died on April 12.
“It was a huge shock,” said Owen. “There isn’t anything that could’ve prepared me for it. You never expect to lose your dad at 19. It leaves a hole.
“It’s like the one person you want to talk to and to be there is no longer there.”
Tributes poured in and Owen, who lives with his mum, in Stevenage, said he was contacted by lots of his dad’s friends, offering their condolences and sharing happy memories.
“He was a member of Leicester CAMRA, he had been in the city since 2013, so had lots of friends there. There were people from home too.
“We had a funeral, but only 10 people could be there and then we were allowed to scatter some of his ashes on the Stevenage FC pitch.
“We hope to have something for everyone who would have wanted to be there when we can.”
Before that though, Owen’s message to people is simple.
“I’ve said from the start, the sooner people do what is asked of them the sooner this ends. Hopefully, that would also mean more people like me don’t lose someone they love – before dad died I’d never really lost anyone.
“I’ve seen what happens. This virus is heartbreaking for so many people.
“It’s been really difficult, especially with the lockdown and I wouldn’t want other people to have to experience it.
“There are no words to thank the NHS for what it is they are doing.”
Owen’s experience has motivated him to do something to pay back those who looked after his dad.
As a result, he has set himself the challenge of running 150km in 30 days on the streets near to his termtime home near the University of Leeds, to raise money for Leicester’s hospitals.
He has already smashed his £250 fund-raising target with £1,200 pledged on his Just Giving page.
All of the cash raised will go to Leicester Hospitals Charity, which has been helping to support all three of Leicester’s hospitals since the first wave of the pandemic. The money raised has helped provide support for patients and staff, including wellbeing kits and mental health resources, additional equipment for wards and rest areas for staff to recuperate.
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