Coronavirus: 'Mum was doing so well, then came this crazy disease'
- Published
Mary McCann was described by her family as "a wonderful woman"
"My mum was doing so well in the care home. She was putting weight back on and had a smile on her face.
"Then she was taken by this crazy, crazy disease."
David McCann chokes back tears as he talks about the loss of his 70-year-old mother Mary to Covid-19.
Mrs McCann, who had underlying health issues, spent the last three months of her life at the Whitehills Care Home in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire.
"She was a strong woman - a wonderful woman. Dedicated to her family," says David.
"The staff at Whitehills loved her, they all took to her. They were fantastic and I will be forever grateful."
David and his grieving family are far from alone.
'It was a rough time'
More than half of Scotland's coronavirus deaths are now happening in care homes, according to new figures.
Data from the National Records of Scotland (NRS) showed that 338 of the 656 deaths recorded between 20 and 26 April were in care homes.
The figures bring the total number of people to have died with confirmed or suspected cases of the virus to 2,272.
David McCann praised care home staff and wants them to get more support
There has been widespread criticism over a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for care home staff.
The government has also faced claims that some elderly patients carrying Covid-19 were being readmitted from hospital.
"There should be more PPE in care homes," says David. "They are not getting enough attention.
"There were plans to test my mum but she passed away before they got the chance."
Care home staff have been under increasing pressure during the pandemic
Mrs McCann was diagnosed with cancer last year and, despite undergoing chemotherapy, she was eventually told that nothing more could be done.
"It got to the stage where she couldn't do it anymore. She was falling over," says David.
"She had been in the home for three months and it was a rough time
"But the last time I saw her she had a smile on her face, which I hadn't seen for a long time."
That was nine days before David's mother passed away.
'We couldn't cuddle her'
He said: "Because she was on palliative care, they made special arrangements for me to come in and see her.
"We had to mask up and glove up - they were strict on the PPE arrangements.
"We could see her but we couldn't cuddle her or anything like that.
"My last memory of her is a smile on her face, which I'll treasure."
Mrs McCann spent the final three months of her life at the Westhills Care Home in East Kilbride
The McCann family had received a call from staff on Friday 10 April to say it was suspected that Mrs McCann had a urinary tract infection (UTI).
"By the Monday, she had deteriorated quite significantly. She had a cough, a temperature and was struggling to breathe.
"At that point we were told it was more likely to be Covid than a UTI, and by the Thursday she was away.
"I'm devastated, she has basically stayed with me all my life," says David, who has two autistic children.
"She was a live-in granny, a live-in carer. She'd done everything for us and was always there for us.
"It was just knowing that she was never going to be there for us again...especially the fact she had been doing so well in the home.
"For a disease that no-one thought would touch us to (leave us) sitting here in this situation - it's bizarre and it's devastating."
'We got to say goodbye'
David's youngest brother Derek took the decision to share his mother's final moments with her.
"One of my mum's biggest fears was she didn't want to die alone, she wanted to have someone with her," says David.
"Derek has got underlying problems as well, and for him to take that chance...
"Me and my other brother will be forever grateful. We love him so much for it.
"One of the things my brother did was phone all the family and hold the phone next to my mum's ear so we could say goodbye.
"That is something a lot of people aren't getting, they are dying alone, which isn't fair."
The McCanns will hold a small funeral service for their mother on Saturday.
"It's just close friends or family - only 12 or 13 people. Lots of people want to go to it but can't.
"Our plan is, once the madness of Covid is over, we are going to have a memorial service for her so that everyone can grieve properly."
A SIMPLE GUIDE: How do I protect myself?
AVOIDING CONTACT: The rules on self-isolation and exercise
WHAT WE DON'T KNOW How to understand the death toll
TESTING: Can I get tested for coronavirus?
LOOK-UP TOOL: Check cases in your area
