Sister had to say goodbye on phone
AFAMILY have told of the heartbreaking moment they had to say goodbye to a woman who died after contracting coronavirus.
Lindsay Marshall, from Rochdale, died on Saturday, two weeks after being admitted to hospital She was 44. Her sister Karen said Lindsay, who had a thyroid condition and asthma, had been self-isolating after developing symptoms of Covid-19.
However, on March 22, she started to feel unwell and was taken to Fairfield General Hospital in Bury.
Three days later, she was sedated and transferred to the intensive care unit at Royal Oldham Hospital.
Just before the sedation, Lindsay sent a text message to her sister and this was the last she heard from her.
Devastated Karen told our sister title Lancs Live: “She had been self-isolating at home for a week on antibiotics and on the Friday before she went to hospital, she said she was feeling better.
“On the Saturday I dropped some shopping off on her doorstep and stood back and we had a chat.
“On Sunday morning she was struggling to breathe and was taken to Fairfield hospital.”
On arrival, Lindsay tested positive for coronavirus.
Karen, 42, added: “On Tuesday evening, she said she was going to be sedated and that she was scared.
“I told her everything was going to be alright and that was the last message she sent.”
Although the nature of the virus often means that families are unable to say goodbye to their loved ones, NHS staff made this possible for Lindsay’s family.
Karen explained: “She was sedated and she didn’t know she was on her own.
“Staff kept taking the phone to the bed so we could talk to her.
“One nurse brushed her hair and plaited it. They looked after her.
“On the day they turned the machine off, staff took the phone over and we were each given the chance to say goodbye.”
Lindsay, who grew up in Bacup, worked two jobs she was a senior care coordinator at Go To Doc for seven years and a sales ops analyst at ADI for nine years.
The former Fearns High School pupil leaves behind her dad, Alan Marshall, her mum, Glenys Marshall and partner Roger, and her sister Karen.
She will also be missed by Karen’s children 15-year-old Charlie, 10-year-old Lewis and eight-year-old Georgia.
Her mum, Glenys said: “Lindsay will be sadly missed and she was wellloved by mum, dad, Karen, Roger, Gareth, Charlie, Lewis and Georgia.”
Karen has described the last fortnight as the ‘worst two weeks of her life’ and is struggling to accept that her sister has gone.
However, she refuses to dwell on the fact that Covid-19 is responsible for her passing, and instead wants to celebrate her life.
She said: “[I] didn’t think in a million years that at the age of 42 I’d have to be writing about my sister no longer being with us, I wouldn’t have even thought about this two weeks ago before this awful virus took over!
“Anyway I’m not going to dwell on the thing that stole her away.
“I’m going to celebrate all the amazing people Linzi was lucky enough to have in her life.
“I have had the loveliest messages and conversations off the loveliest people in what has been the worst two weeks of my life and I want to thank each and every one of you for the beautiful, kind words you have said.
“Linzi was truly blessed to have you all and we as a family were blessed to have her for her short 44 years, especially her nephews and niece who loved Auntie Linzi to bits.
“She was a kind, caring sister and auntie who would do anything for anybody.”
A fundraising page has been set up in Lindsay’s memory to raise money for NHS Charities Together. As of Wednesday afternoon it had raised £1,555.
However, the family were shocked to discover on Wednesday that someone had cloned her Facebook account and was sharing the link to a false fundraising page.
Karen, who has reported the page, to get it taken down, said: “It just sickens me to know that someone would use the loss of Lindsay to try to make them money, especially when the money we were raising was going to such a good cause.
“Luckily, they don’t seem to have achieved anything, yet.”
Karen is encouraging members of the public to stay at home, in order to avoid other families losing loved ones to the virus.
The mum-of-three added: “When we all get through this lockdown we will come together and celebrate her life, until then, please all stay safe, I don’t want any of your families to go through this heartache.
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“I need to add that the nurses and doctors on the ICU at Oldham were amazing I couldn’t have asked for more.
“Thank you to all who work for the NHS.”
At least 246 people with coronavirus have now died in hospitals in Greater Manchester.
The region’s death toll rose 23 deaths in 24 hours, NHS England data published today (Monday) showed.
Karen encouraged all of Lindsay’s friends and family to light a candle in her memory at 9pm on Sunday (April 5).
She was inundated with condolences and pictures as many people took the opportunity to pay tribute to Lindsay.
Karen said: “Loads of people put posts on. It was a chance for everyone to be together in their thoughts because they can’t be in person.
“Everyone will remember her strange accent - as we lived in Rossendale and then moved to Rochdale - her laugh, and that she says it as it is.
“I have been overwhelmed by tributes.”
Funeral arrangements are underway, although nothing has been confirmed at this time.
Lindsay’s family will be arranging a memorial service once lockdown is lifted, where family and friends are invited to celebrate her life.
A GoFundMe page has been set up in Lindsay’s memory to raise money for NHS Charities Together.