Coronavirus: 'Everyone thought it would be me who died'

A Lanarkshire woman who was admitted to hospital along with her husband says it is a miracle she survived coronavirus when her husband didn't.

Edith and Donald McCracken, from the village of Symington in South Lanarkshire, were admitted to hospital at the start of April.

Edith is 76 and has been suffering from a rare form of severe asthma for the past six years.

Donald was 73 and in good health, despite heart problems in the past.

"Everyone thought that I would go, and Donald would survive," said Edith. "I've got brittle asthma and COPD but my symptoms were gastric, and that's why I survived.

"It was definitely a miracle because my asthma is very, very bad and it went away when I was in hospital."

Donald wasn't so fortunate. He developed double pneumonia. The staff at Wishaw General allowed Edith to be with him when he died. She says their kindness and her Christian faith helped her through.

"I have the comfort of knowing he's with the Lord. He got taken on Easter Sunday morning so that was lovely for me."

Her daughter Denise Williamson is a Christian too, but said her faith could only carry her so far.

She said: "I know that he's in heaven, but it's just not easy being here on earth," said Denise. "I'm really missing him now and it's been really difficult."

When her parents were in hospital, Denise says she became obsessed with news reports about the virus, seeking out the stories of people in a similar situation.

Her search led her to a Facebook group called Alone Together Covid-19 Support Network which already has hundreds of members.

The support group was set up by an NHS worker in Devon. Liam Meyer's father David was a 62-year-old retired bus driver who died from Covid just days before Donald McCracken.

"The main reason I wanted to start it is because I've got quite a big family and even though we couldn't physically be together, we still had that network and we could communicate with each other," said Liam.

"I was thinking there must be someone out there who's just literally stuck in the house on their own and getting reminded of the person every day because they lived with them.

"So I think the network helps with the isolation and being alone."

Denise says the group, which has members from the UK, South Africa, the USA and Australia has been been a huge help to her and many others.

She said: "His dad died just before my dad, and I couldn't believe the courage of him to be functioning and doing something as productive as that."

Now Denise is urging anybody who has lost members of their family during the pandemic to join a support group and get similar help.

She said: "It's a closed group so no-one can see, only people that are going through the same thing.

"It's very much clear you're not alone. We're all here."