A devastated husband is unable to see his terminally ill wife who is dying alone in hospital.
Paul Durkin was distraught when his wife of 14 years, Roz, was admitted to Countess of Chester Hospital over Christmas.
Having bravely battled bowel cancer for a number of years, Roz, 53, was told by doctors the disease had spread to her pelvis, lungs and brain.
Doctors estimated she only had two months left to live, NorthWalesLive reports.
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Her condition deteriorated last month and she was taken to hospital on December 27.
The heartache was made worse when Paul, from Broughton, Flintshire, claims he was told he could not visit her.
It is understood Paul has been able to visit his wife on one occasion last week but is fighting for more regular visits.
Hilda Gwilliams, Director of Nursing and Quality at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: “Our priority is our patients and we will always respect the wishes of our patients when it comes to visiting.
"Visiting at our hospitals is currently suspended due to COVID-19 restrictions but we do facilitate visits to patients under certain circumstances and in agreement with patients and their loved ones.”
Paul expressed his deep-seated fears to staff that his wife may soon no longer recognise him as she is losing vital moments of lucidity.
He is so distressed and finds it too emotionally overwhelming to talk about the situation but he has asked one of his five siblings, his sister Carol Hughes, to be his advocate.
She contacted the Countess of Chester hospital management desperately pleading with Ward 43 managers for Paul to be allowed to visit Roz but she claims she encountered a “brick wall”.
It is claimed Paul was allowed to visit his wife on one occasion for just 30 minutes last week.
However the family are taking the case to the hospital chief executive and has asked Alyn and Deeside MP Mark Tami for support.
Carol, of Cwrt Brenig, Buckley, said the whole family is grief-stricken to see Paul facing such a desperate situation.
She was even more furious having watched news reports about Prime Minister Boris Johnson having broken his own government’s lockdown rules to attend a Downing Street garden party when so many families in the rest of the country were suffering in isolation.
Carol said: “Paul is inconsolable. He and Roz are inseparable. They’ve struggled together through her terrible illness, supporting each other all the way. To think in her last days Paul has been so cruelly parted from Roz is crushing.
"The hospital’s own website advises that there is not a blanket ban on visiting despite the Covid-19 associated restrictions. In some wards, including the one where Roz is, they say in black and white that cases are considered on an individual basis and in exceptional circumstances, visitors are allowed in.
"Roz’s condition is getting worse with each passing day and, because the cancer has spread to her brain, her lucid moments are becoming fewer and fewer. It’s possible she will soon no longer be able to speak or even recognise Paul, so every single moment he gets to spend with her is imperative.”
The family are hoping Roz will soon be transferred to a local hospice where Paul will be allowed to see his beloved wife.
But even then Carol intends to continue with her complaint to the hospital.
She said: “This time has been irreplaceable, Paul can never get these days back. Instead of being with his wife, comforting her in her moments of need, he has been left at home feeling desolate, worrying constantly.
“Even if Roz is moved to a hospice I will continue with our complaint because I am horrified to think of any other family facing a similar situation to what we have been dealing with over the last fortnight.”
Roz worked at Buckley leisure centre reception before her illness and Paul is employed at Tesco, Broughton.
They both tried to maintain normality in their lives even after Roz’s diagnosis and she continued to work right up until the start of the pandemic.
Carol said: “She is hugely popular, such a kind person loved by all the staff and customers at the leisure centre. She loved working there.”
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