A Scots family has been destroyed by coronavirus after their dad died alone in hospital while his wife battled the bug at home.
Jim Brown, 74, passed away on Saturday February 13 just over a week after he and wife Liz, 73, tested positive for the deadly virus.
The couple, from Falkirk, received the shock results the day before they were both due to get vaccinated.
When Jim's condition deteriorated and he ended up in ICU, his 'traumatised' family made the heart-breaking decision not to say their goodbyes in person so they could continuing caring for their sick mother.
But in a devastating twist of fate, when they called to speak to their father one last time, it was already too late.
Jim's son Stephen Brown said: "We’re all devastated, physically, emotionally and mentally shattered.
“We made a group call to the hospital around 10pm and asked them to put the phone to dad's ear so we could say our final goodbyes.
“The consultant that answered told us dad had just passed away. It is devastating that he died without any of his loving family by his side.
"We also take comfort in knowing that the heroic nurses and consultants at Forth Valley Hospital were with him until the end. We witnessed first-hand what heroes and heroines they are.
"We hold our Mum in the same high regard, having single-handedly cared for my Dad."
Jim had started to feel strange two days after his positive covid test but instead of suffering from a fever or cough, he instead showed signs of 'delirium'.
The pensioner was admitted to Forth Valley Hospital on Monday February 8, where he was given a full check-up and released home that same evening.
However his condition then quickly began to deteriorate as Liz, who was also very ill, desperately tried to look after him.
Jim, who was high-risk for Covid due to his diabetes and a previous stroke, was taken back to hospital in an ambulance on February 12.
Having been administered oxygen, steroids and insulin to stabilise his diabetes, he was soon moved to intensive care.
It was then children Stephen, 50, Julie Allison, 47, and Stuart Brown, 42, made the 'the hardest decision of their lives' to put him on a ventilator despite the low chance he would pull through.
Despite doing well for the first few hours, he soon began to crash, with medics telling them they could come in to say their final goodbyes in a private room.
The family took the gut-wrenching decision not to go in so they could avoid the self-isolation period and be there to care for mum Liz.
Just 24 hours after being admitted to hospital, Jim passed away.
After his death, the siblings had to return to Jim’s home in Denny to wake Liz from her sleep to tell her the love of her life had passed away.
Dressed in full PPE they went inside and broke the tragic news before moving their grieving mum to Julie’s house to recover from the virus.
Stephen said: “Our initial thought was to let him slip away but as we couldn’t consult mum to confirm we agreed he should be moved onto a ventilator, despite understanding the low probability of survival and long term implications if he had recovered.
"Dad was gone and mum didn’t know.
“We know that she’s suffering both mentally and physically and our main fear is that she will end up in hospital too.
“Around midnight we arrived at my Mums front door and call her on the phone, but she doesn’t pick up, so we have no option but to go in and wake her.
”Can you honestly think of anything more horrific than being woken during a nightmare, faced by four masked individuals being told that your husband of 53 years has died and then quickly moved to a car and driven away from your home?
"We are praying that our mum first of all recovers from this horrific virus and has the strength to recover from this excruciatingly, traumatic, horrific nightmare."
The grieving family have now hit out at Covidiots and conspiracy theorists, begging them to think of those paying the ultimate price as a result of the selfishness of others.
Stephen added: “Throughout the lockdowns, mum and dad have rarely ventured out, instead spending the vast majority of their time, together, happy, in their own home.
“Our mum and dad did nothing wrong and have paid the price for the selfish others that choose to flout the rules and basically don’t think about the consequences of their actions."
“What did our 73-year-old mum do to deserve this?"
"We are sharing our story in an effort to make a difference.
“Even if it convinces a few people to change their attitude and behaviour and in turn saves even just one life.
“If it could prevent one family going through the living hell that we’ve been through, it’s a start and gives hope that our Dad's death may just be the one that makes a difference."
