A man was buried on his 52nd birthday after his wife was called and told he only had 48 hours left to live.
Ian Ward lost his life when he contracted Covid-19 when he went into hospital in February 2020 for gallstones treatment. Ian sadly caught pneumonia and covid and never returned home and died April 2, 2020, alone on a ward due to the Covid-19 restrictions leaving behind his heartbroken family.
Grieving families, like Ian's have now come together to say their loved ones were not just a number and will not be forgotten.
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Families right across the UK are continuing to feel the devastating impacts of the covid pandemic. But as loved ones were unable to say a proper goodbye due to intense restrictions, many feel "lost" over the last few years.
Now, a national day of reflection is held on March 23, in honour of all those that lost their lives during the pandemic, and their loved ones left behind. This year, a special event will be held in Merseyside, as hundreds of families will have the opportunity to scatter rose petals on the Mersey Ferry in memory of their beloved.
Organised by Covid-19FamiliesUK, this event has become a "need" for the bereaved. Ian's wife Carol has spoken to the ECHO about the horrific time, and just what this memorial event means to her. She said: "In my eyes, these deaths were just numbers and that's so hard. Me and Ian were only married three years so for me, it was a new partner.
"He died aged 51 and we buried him on his 52nd birthday. We weren't even allowed to see him, all these things people don't realise what we went through. We didn't even have a service, just a burial with 10 people.
"He went into hospital and we joked he would be safer in there. I last saw him on March 17 until two days before he died I got a call saying he had 48-hours to live. Even then I was allowed to see him for five minutes, not allowed to touch him and had to be all dressed up in PPE. We couldn't even speak to him because he was so ill."
For Carol, 65, and many families like hers, the national memorial event is to honour those lost and ensure they are not forgotten. Paying tribute to her "caring" husband who would "help anyone", she added: "We couldn't even see him in the undertakers. We had to take ourselves to the funeral. You don't know what it's like until you've gone through it.
"For me, I need to do this. I haven't been able to say goodbye or celebrate his life. I haven't even had a memorial. Last year, I travelled to London by myself for the memorial event there.
"The only comfort were through Facebook pages, especially the Yellow Hearts, it kept me going. I'd urge people to come to this, reach out, we are here. These people are not just a number and they won't be forgotten."
Deborah Lewis, founder of Covid19 Families UK, helps to organise memorial events across the UK for anyone bereaved, not just from covid. This year, 200 families will scatter rose petals and attend a special service at Liverpool ONE.
Although tickets are not yet live, they can be bought here from February 23 at £5 each. The event will take place on March 23.
Debbie told the ECHO: "Covid isn't over, people are still dying daily and the effects of the pandemic on the bereaved were absolutely horrible. Even now, thousands of people haven't been able to say a proper goodbye and we have been able to give them that opportunity.
"We have over 5,000 bereaved members and they have that comfort to know their loved ones are not forgotten. Even deaths unrelated to covid, they still went through the same restrictions. It's important that all those deaths are acknowledged."
Debbie herself lost her mum to cancer in 2019 and then a few months later, in April 2020, lost her dad to covid so understands both deaths should be remembered. She added: "The obvious question when someone died was 'was it covid' so other deaths felt smaller somehow.
"Most people's lives have now gone back to normal and it's good we are recovering, but there are still thousands struggling with grief and loss who never got to say goodbye and I want to help with that. I really hope people get behind us and show support to others during the national day of reflection, just ask people how they are feeling.
"And if any local businesses want to come forward to help, local community groups especially, please contact us. We have a reception until 4pm and the sailing at Mersey Ferries is at 5pm. We've had great support from Mersey Ferries and Liverpool ONE as well as the Liverpool Community Foundation.
More information and support can be found via the Merseyside group here.
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