A charity worker who died of coronavirus discovered she had an underlying health condition while in hospital having caught the killer disease.
Maria Lawrence was diagnosed with double pneumonia when she was taken to Royal Derby hospital, before a test revealed she also had the coronavirus.
The 48-year-old, from Derby, was struggling with shortness of breath and a fever, Derbyshire Live reported.
Doctors carried out further tests and discovered that she had vasculitis, a rare underlying health condition which causes inflammation of the blood vessels.
Members of Maria's family held her hand as the life machine was switched off on Friday, her body too weak to fight the two diseases and the condition.
She was well known in her home town for her charitable endeavours.
Maria's most famous creation was the Derby Secret Santa scheme which she devised and ran for free.
It provided Christmas gifts for hundreds of vulnerable people in the area who would not ordinarily get one.
Sons Dan and Benn Clark, 21 and 19, vowed to continue her legacy in her memory.
Dan said: “She was like an angel and very well-regarded in the community.
“She was selfless too. Nothing was done for herself. She ran all these things out of charity.
“Mum would work tirelessly for no profit or recognition. She did not even use her own name in the Secret Santa.
“She was the most caring, kind-hearted person in the world.
Dan, a manager at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, described her as "selfless, generous and positive".
He said: “Everything she did was for the greater good of people. She was the kindest person you could ever meet and never let anything get her down.
“She has not had an easy life.
“She has had a lot of challenges but she would always have a smile on her face.”
Dan spoke about receiving the news that his mother wasn't going to make it.
“We got a phone call from the doctor on Friday evening who wanted to talk to us," he said.
“We expected the worst.
“They said they were going to switch off the life-support machine, but they wanted us to see her before they did.
“We got all suited up in an apron, mask and gloves like the nurses were in, and went into the ward and saw her one last time.
“We got to hold her hand. She was probably aware of it I think. It was horrible to be honest.”
Doctors later turned off the life-support machine and informed the family.
Dan continued: “One of the worst parts was that her mum, my nan, couldn’t come.
“We had to put a phone on the bed and ring her to let her talk.
“That was hard; hearing everything that they have together from a life way longer than ours.”
Dan spoke of the symptoms his mother had in the last week of her life.
He said: “The week before she said she was coming down with something.
“She was getting shortness of breath which is a key symptom.
“She would come into my room and lie on my sofa and just watch things.
“She was tired all the time and did not feel like doing anything, which was not like her.
“Then one time it was 3am and she was awake. She said she had a massive fever.
“Once that had gone she could not even get up and down the stairs due to breathlessness.
Dan said that his mother probably contracted the virus from going to the shops or the post office, as she worked from home and “kept herself to herself”.
She ran a business creating and selling gift bags.
