Woman pays tribute to ‘priceless’ care given to dying Horsham mum

Lynette Coates said her mother Brenda Walker died in the early hours of Sunday April 5 at East Surrey Hospital, shortly before results came back confirming she had tested positive for coronavirus.

Lynette said: “I must applaud the NHS at this time. Although I could not be with mum when she died she was not alone – a nurse held her hand until the final moment.

“The fact that this nurse took herself out of the ward to come and spend time with me to tell me what she had said to mum. It was priceless.”

She praised the ‘overloaded and rushed’ staff who took time out of their day to speak to her, giving a sense of closure including a doctor who explained that her mum had not been in pain.

Lynette added: “He gave me ten minutes of his time while I was sobbing my heart out. That was so special. They’re doing an amazing job.”

Lynette said her 88-year-old mum, who had been in Crawley Hospital for several weeks, was suffering from dementia and terminal cancer.

Brenda registered a high temperature and then developed a cough on the Friday before she died.

Lynette said: “Everything happens so fast and [she] deteriorated so quickly.”

She was transferred to East Surrey Hospital shortly before she died.

Now Lynette is urging people to follow the government guidelines to help take the pressure off healthcare workers.

She said: “People must adhere to the government guidelines and stay home and save lives. Just doing those two things is helping the NHS. It’s helping the people that helped my mum when she was dying. It’s helping people survive.”

Lynette said she knew she was one of many who had lost loved ones to coronavirus, but that it makes the loss no easier.

She added that her mum had hoped for lots of flowers on her grave but due to lockdown restrictions this might not be possible.

Lynette said: “If it can’t be done it can’t be done – mum will understand.”

She added that she hopes to hold a memorial for her mum, who was a Horsham resident for more than 15 years, once life returns to normal.