A Burnham-On-Sea woman whose 44-year-old husband died of Coronavirus has issued an emotional message to people who are not taking the pandemic seriously.
Denise Lynham, a healthcare rehabilitation support worker, has spoken out after she survived Covid-19 but tragically lost her husband to the virus.
“I want the message to be understood that Covid can affect people of any age – it’s not just the elderly. Please wear your mask and stick to the rules,” she says.
Denise lost her husband Steve to Coronavirus last year and says: “I didn’t get a chance to have a proper goodbye, Steve had no dignity at the end of his life and we’ve been left with a gaping hole in our family.”
Denise’s story is part of a powerful campaign of short films that portray the real-life experiences of people suffering the effects of coronavirus in our region with the aim of reminding local people that following Government guidelines is the best way to protect loved ones.
She adds: “I want to share our story and support this campaign because I think people need to be reminded that this virus is real, anyone can get it, and it’s so important that we continue to do our best and follow the rules for as long as we need to because it’s a lot easier than losing a loved one and going through what my family have.”
She and her husband Steve both caught Covid-19 back in April in the first wave of the pandemic.
She became seriously ill, but Steve, a father-of-two, pictured below, struggled to breathe and ended up being taken to hospital, first in Weston-super-Mare.
Then he was transferred to intensive care in Bristol, and then to the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, where he tragically died a few weeks later.
The series of short films were assembled, according to strict coronavirus safety rules, by the Healthier Together partnership which represents ten organisations across BNSSG committed to working together on improving health and care.
The campaign, called Covid Stories, features a number of people talking about what has happened, including two who sadly lost loved ones to coronavirus, two care home workers, an IT worker who was hospitalised and survived, and a woman isolating from her own school-aged son due to coronavirus.
The films and their messages are being promoted to hundreds of thousands of local people in local authority newsletters, through local media, email, and online including health and care websites and social media channels.
Cllr Mike Bell, Deputy Leader of North Somerset Council and portfolio holder for health says: “Much of the media coverage during the pandemic has focused on the numbers of people being affected by the disease. As a partnership we want to highlight the human impact within our local communities.”
“For anyone who thinks the disease isn’t serious, or they won’t be affected, I’d urge them to watch the films. They tell the stories of people in our area – our friends and neighbours – and the devastating impact the disease has had on their lives.”
“We must all keep doing everything we can to reduce the spread of the virus. We are all at risk of catching the virus and we are all at risk of passing it on to a vulnerable person. But we can all give the gift of health this year by acting responsibly and playing our part.”
“On behalf of the Healthier Together partnership I would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all the health and care workers who have worked tirelessly and relentlessly this year to care for and protect our vulnerable community members.”
