Couple who fostered 26 children die from coronavirus within 11 days of each other
A couple who fostered 26 children together have both died of coronavirus within a 11 days of each other.
Hefin and Valerie Williams, who were married for 48 years, were rushed to hospital just six days apart with COVID-19 and died after a short battle with the disease.
Their heartbroken family were not able to say their last goodbyes to the couple – who had four children, six grandchildren and 26 foster children – due to the risk of infection.
Valerie, 74, began to show symptoms of coronavirus on 12 March, including a dry cough, a high fever and body aches, which she managed with paracetamol.
The couple, from Warrington, between Manchester and Liverpool, self-isolated but Valerie, who had no underlying health conditions, became increasingly fatigued and found her chest was getting much worse.
She was rushed to hospital on 21 March and was transferred to the intensive care unit and placed on a ventilator in the early hours of the next morning.
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Hefin, 80, remained at home self-isolating and was not displaying symptoms; however, his family noticed he had become unwell during their daily video calls.
After his symptoms worsened he was also rushed to hospital where he was placed on high-flow oxygen for 24 hours before being moved on to a ventilator in the early hours of 29 March.
Tragically, he suffered multi-organ failure and his family were told by the consultant he would not survive. His treatment was withdrawn at midday on 30 March and he died shortly after.
Valerie remained in intensive care in a stable condition, unaware her husband had died, but then died a week later.
One of their daughters, Andrea Brinksman, 44, who works in a GP's surgery, has called for people to take the government's advice seriously and adhere to the lockdown rules in order to save lives.
She said: “We have been left devastated by what has happened, but we would like to thank all of the NHS staff that have played a part in caring for them in their hour of need – the paramedics, nurses, doctors, care workers, porters and to anyone else that assisted.
"The hardest part as a family was not being able to say our last goodbyes to them.
"My sister is a neo-natal nurse, my sister-in-law is an intensive care nurse and I have worked for the NHS for 27 years.
“Our message is a simple one: stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.”
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