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When our July issue hit the shelves, many of us were facing enormous pandemic-related challenges and grief. That included reader Anne Hunter, who wrote to share some moving and hopeful words.
‘I’m sat fully immersed in the fabulous July edition of Red.
It’s a strange feeling, as lockdown life has been so very different for each and every person in the country,’ she wrote. ‘I lost my dad, while my mum was being nursed on a ventilator. They both had Covid-19. My mum wasn’t able to attend his funeral, held on the day she woke. My husband and I were the only ones able to attend.
My husband has worked, cooked, cleaned, home-schooled and had his mum-in-law live in our dining room for months. (That’s love!) During our times of madness, my mum has been miraculous, as she defied everyone and everything – while she had crazy coma dreams of being all over the world, the wonderful ICU saved her life. Rollercoaster doesn’t even begin to describe what my family – and many others – across the country have endured. Through nursing my mum back to health, and the love and support our friends and family have shown, I’ve seen first-hand the amount of positivity that lies within people, especially in these hard times. I felt so lucky caring for my mum, when so many are still distanced from their family and loved ones, while others have lost jobs, not finished what they’d planned, and so on. Everyone needs to remember these times can’t last for ever. We should be proud of what we have achieved in these past few months.
I work in the NHS and have felt so guilty for not being my usual self in work during lockdown, but I’m also incredibly proud of so many of my colleagues. I’ll never have enough gratitude to the NHS.
With a hot cuppa, a little bit of normal life – whether fashion, food or general feelgood features – from Red has been so very welcome, helping me to give myself a little breathing space and time. I’m enjoying every page! Thank you. If I were to be picked as the star letter, I’d give my prize to my inspirational mum.’