A mum received a devastating call to say her husband died while she laid in her hospital bed with a life-threatening condition.
Jo Arran, 48, had been with her husband Rob since 2001, but in October 2019 she was rushed to hospital with a nasty infection that turned into MRSA.
Just two months later, Rob became ill himself and was taken to a different hospital while Jo's mum looked after their four young children.
But Rob's condition rapidly deteriorated and died in January 2020 at the age of 41 after contracting sepsis.
Jo, from Preston, Lancashire, told LancsLive: "I was in hospital myself and I knew he had been taken in and then all of a sudden I got this call to tell me that he won't make it through the night.
"It's taken a while to adjust but I am getting there. I was getting better for a year after it happened until last year, I broke my foot.
"I was bedbound and unable to walk, so my mobility had just declined and I couldn't do anything for myself. I moved back in to my mum's house and basically just wallowed for the whole of last summer - mentally and physically it's been hard."
The tragic loss has also been tough on Jo's four children.
"My youngest is 12 and my daughter who is 15 has really just got her confidence back after everything that has happened," she added.
"My 19-year-old was 16 when Rob died and it was really quite mentally hard for him. It's not just working with your own mental health, you've got to be mindful of them and really, I've had everything all on my shoulders.
"It's hard on your own because there's no one to ask advice when they go through phases and being teenagers, really I'm just winging it all."
In order to help her cope, Jo has sought solace with other parents who may have experienced something similar.
That came in the form of a single parents group Jo found on Facebook, set up by Ste Walker after he became a single dad and felt as though there wasn't enough support.
Since Jo joined the group, Ste was impressed by the way she helped other members through difficult emotional times and eventually decided to make her an admin.
"I came across an article on Ste's group and so I joined it in May this year," Jo continued.
"I kept reading the posts and everything on Facebook and then I decided to meet him at the Continental Pub in Avenham Park.
"I was really quite apprehensive and when I got there. I thought, I'm not doing this but I turned around and he spotted me and said 'hi'. It pretty much went from there really, but in the few months I've been a part of it, it really has helped me come out of my shell a lot.
"We go on days out to the beach or have picnics together, pretty much if anyone is going out for the day then they'll post in the group to ask if anyone wants to join them. It's invaluable just to sit with people that are going through the same thing.
"If you're having a bad day, you can let them know and people will give out advice and there's always someone that will be able to relate - it's like having a little back up and I've made amazing friends too.
"Ste made me an admin [of the group] because I think he saw how I was reacting to other people, trying to offer them advice and support and even though not everyone takes your advice all of the time, it's nice knowing you can help someone. Even if it's just sending them a little motivational quote, it's about getting them talking."
Not only has Ste's group helped Jo, but it has also helped 41-year-old Emma Kirkwood, the group's longest-serving admin.
Emma has a 17-year-old boy but experienced an awful pregnancy which left her needing a wheelchair.
"At six weeks pregnant I couldn't walk and I had to have a wheelchair, so I had to stop working which was hard because I was the main breadwinner at the time," said Emma.
"I've not been in a wheelchair since but I do have crutches from time to time as it has left me with bad arthritis."
Emma split with her husband a decade ago and moved into her mum's house for a more "stable" environment for her son who was diagnosed with autism before the coronavirus pandemic.
For the past seven years, she has been home-educating him and sought a group where she could chat with other adults who may be experiencing a similar way of life.
She added: "Sometimes I don't want to burden friends with these things and the group really helps - even if it's something simple, people can really relate to you and give you advice you may not have thought of."
