‘Amazing’ Kettering father becomes UK’s youngest coronavirus victim

A man who died at KGH from coronavirus was a father-of-two described as "a wonderfully kind and caring person".

Craig Ruston, from Kettering, is the first person in Northamptonshire and believed to be the youngest person in the UK to have died from coronavirus.

He was diagnosed with motor neurone disease at 42-years-old in 2018 and ran a blog on Facebook called Me and my MND.

His wife, Sally, wrote on the page today (Tuesday) and said: "My Amazing Craig passed away yesterday morning at 6.20am. We are truly heartbroken."

The post said he had been taken ill last week.

"Last Tuesday he was taken unwell and we have since spent the last 6 days in isolation. Craig’s chest infection was confirmed as Covid-19.

"How dare that take Craig who was already facing this (MND), the most vile and evil of diseases.

"Craig’s wish upon death was to give his brain to the Oxford Brain Bank. It was to be used specifically for MND research and Craig was so keen to do this. He’d give anything in the name of research. Sadly this can no longer happen. How dare this virus take this from Craig."

Craig, who was a footwear designer who used to work for Dr Martens, Hunter Boots and Fred Perry, started the blog after he was diagnosed with MND.

The post said: "At diagnosis in June 2018 he was given roughly two years to live. He was pushing that back.

"Craig was not ready to go. Still doing everything in his power to raise awareness and fight the fight for MND."

The post said Craig was a wonderfully kind and caring person who welcomed everyone.

It said: "There were no airs and graces with Craig. He loved the world. He absorbed the world.

"He was one of the most intelligent people I know that would absorb information and could somehow explain just about anything."

The post said Craig had got so much support and help out of his blog on his MND journey.

The blog post ended with a heartfelt message to the much-loved husband and father from his wife, Sally, which said: "My Amazing Craig, I love you forever and ever, from your Amazing Sally and your Amazing girls."

A post by the Facebook blog Mummy with MND said: "This is my good friend Craig, with his family.

"Yes, he had MND but he had a lot of time left with his girls, possibly years. Covid-19 took him yesterday. A family has been devastated.

"Craig adored his wife, Sally.

"His girls were his world and his thoughts were only ever about what his illness would do to them.

"What Craig didn't deserve was for his already limited future to have been taken so suddenly by Covid.

"The 'vulnerable' are people like me and Craig. Parents of young children. Get your heads out of the sand. Start acting in our interests too."

KGH confirmed today that a patient who had tested positive for coronavirus had died yesterday (Tuesday).

It is the first confirmed death in Northamptonshire.

Earlier today, KGH medical director Professor Andrew Chilton said: “Sadly we can confirm that a man who was being cared for at Kettering General Hospital, and had tested positive for COVID-19 has died.

"The patient who died on March 16 had underlying health conditions.

"His family has been informed and our thoughts and condolences are with them at this difficult and distressing time.”