Rushden woman to honour mum and all those who have died of Covid-19 with yellow heart campaign

A Rushden woman who was unable to visit her mother as she lay dying has urged people bereaved due to the pandemic to show solidarity by joining the Yellow Hearts to Remember campaign.

Hazel Harper could not journey to Devon to be with her mum, Jo Moran, during her final hours but said her goodbyes via a video call.

The 75-year-old grandmother, who died on April 15, had been admitted from her care home. She tested positive for Covid-19 whilst in hospital.

Hazel said: "We said goodbye on the iPad. She wasn't alone though, they were stroking her hair and gave her pain relief.

"I personally, along with my family, have not grieved appropriately due to restrictions imposed on care after a loved one has died as a result of Covid-19."

Hazel had been unable to see her mum for two years due to family commitments but would have travelled to Barnstaple, near to where her sister Helen lives, if the country had not been in lockdown.

She said: "It's been pretty traumatic. The pain is still there and I do get angry. The numbers are going up. People need to be careful. The only ones who are fearful are the ones who have been affected by it. I feel I am one of the fortunate ones because I know I got the opportunity to say farewell and to attend the funeral even if it was only on a livestream."

Hazel and her family will be joining in the national one-minute silence at 8pm, and lighting a candle on Saturday along with other families who have lost their loved ones to the coronavirus.

They are part of the Facebook, Yellow Hearts to Remember group, started by sisters Becky and Hannah Gompertz and their grandad, after their grandma, Sheila, died of coronavirus. Members of the group display a yellow heart in their windows as an act of remembrance.

She said: "I would appreciate if those in the Northamptonshire area could have awareness raised that it is not just Clap for Carers that should be in the mainstream but to honour and recognise the silent ongoing deaths from this virus.

"There is no true acknowledgement of this other than this group that people like myself turn to in our need for support and to raise awareness of the unfolding tragedy.

"Far too many lives are lost in these horrendous circumstances. The faces and names of those lost enter my thoughts on a regular basis. We gain support from those who post and try to raise awareness of those who have died.

"We really appreciate the NHS and all that they did for my mum but the public aren't seeing the other side of the Clap for Carers - the sheer agony of losing a loved one - a parent or a child.

"Normal funeral arrangements are just not possible. For mum, there was no chapel of rest and the only personal belongings we got back were her rings which had been specially treated. Everything else she went into hospital with was destroyed."

Rushden Lakes shopping centre will display a yellow heart after Hazel's daughter, Nadine, asked for their help to highlight their campaign.

Hazel added: "A minutes silence is supposed to run alongside the clap for carers, it would be nice if people could join in and put yellow hearts in their windows to mark the loss of the thousands of people who have died in this pandemic.

"To those who need support, we collectively are a Facebook family that can share the burden and understand this insurmountable grief we have had imposed on us by the spread of this virus, that has no consciousness but has managed to bring the entire world to its knees and affect so many.

"When I turn the TV off, Coronavirus and Covid-19, will not go away from my vocabulary and my thoughts."

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