A family has been left devastated after three relatives passed away just days apart.
Describing the tragedy as “the stuff of nightmares,” family friend Alison Higgins explained how 74-year-old Gladys Lewis passed away on Thursday last week after contracting coronavirus and getting hospitalized at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Ynysmaerdy, Wales.
Just one day later, the family was hit with another loss as 44-year-old Dean, the woman’s son and a father-of-three, passed away from coronavirus complications at his home.
Three days later, on Monday, Dean’s 42-year-old brother, Darren, also died of Covid-19.
Following the devastating string of premature deaths, Higgins launched a fundraiser to help Lewis’ husband, David, and daughter, Debbie, get through these tough times.
“As one of Debbie’s friends, there was no question that they needed help, financially and emotionally from our community,” Higgins said.
“This is the stuff of nightmares, it’s incomprehensible what’s happened. Knowing how much fundraising the family have done over the years, it was only right we came together for them.
“The community are aware of their charitable ways and that shows in how much help we’re receiving at the moment.”
As Higgins added, the GoFundMe page for the family has already surpassed the goal she had initially set.
“We’ve got various raffles going on and the GoFundMe page has smashed target and continues to accumulate daily,” she said. “I just want to get this family as much money as possible to support them with the three funerals and use the rest for whatever they may need.”
Thanking Good Samaritans for their support was also Claire Lewis, Dean’s widowed wife, who expressed gratitude for financial support and words of comfort.
“As a family, we are extremely grateful to each and every person that has offered us help in any way and are taking some comfort from the hundreds of condolence messages we have all received,” she said.
“We are really overwhelmed by the fundraising from what Ali and Jemma are doing with the GoFundMe page.”
Replaced!