Family devastated as three grandparents die from coronavirus

Andy Leaman, 42, said his young daughter Anna, aged nine, has been left devastated from the tragedy.

Family devastated as three grandparents die from coronavirus SWNS

A grieving family lost three grandparents to coronavirus in the space of a month.

Andy Leaman, 42, said his young daughter Anna, aged nine, has been left devastated from the tragedy.

He lost his own parents, Mary, 72, and Andy Snr, 73, and also father-in-law Dougie Chambers, 66, after all three pensioners developed symptoms following a small birthday party before the lockdown.

The bash, on March 7, was to celebrate the 40th birthday of Mr Leaman’s partner, Lynsey Chamber.

In the wake of the tragedies, Mr Leaman is urging people to take extra caution after his dad had been released from hospital after testing negative but then took a fatal turn for the worse.

Devastated: Mr Leaman is urging everyone to follow the guidelines set out.

His father-in-law, Mr Chambers, was a keen hillwalker despite suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.

He tested positive and was put in an induced coma, but tragically died on March 26 at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow.

Mr Leaman’s parents then began to self-isolate after showing symptoms.

His mum, who also had COPD and previously battled pneumonia, died at home on March 30, while his dad was advised to go to hospital as a precaution and tested positive for Covid-19.

Heartbroken: Anna is devastated over the loss of her granddad Dougie.

He spent ten days on a ward at the QEUH alone, but his health began to improve and he was allowed home, finally testing negative for coronavirus.

However on April 15, Mr Leaman’s dad began to cough again and was short of breath.

He was taken into hospital for treatment, but died just four days later on April 19.

Mr Leaman, who works at a newspaper printer plant, said: “When my mum and dad started showing symptoms I’d kind of prepared myself after Dougie’s death for my mum being very ill.

“I’d prepared myself to think that if my mum gets this then there’s no chance of survival for her.

“But not being able to go and see them or be in the house with them, that was really, really hard to take.

“I’ve got three comforts from what happened and one of the comforts is that she did die in the house as she wouldn’t have wanted to be alone in hospital.

“It was obviously devastating for my dad for my mum to die in the house and for him to be the only one there.

“But after that, to be taken to hospital at the same time and no one being allowed to be with him, he had to grieve alone in the hospital.

“And I can’t even imagine how that must have been for him, not allowed to grieve in the normal way around family.

“When he came out and I was living with him, I don’t think he’d quite accepted it, and neither had I.

“You just expect my mum to walk in the door or be somewhere in the house.

“It was hard and surreal.”

Much-loved: Mr Chambers with granddaughters Mia, Anna and Kerrie.

The dad-of-one, from Castlemilk, Glasgow, recalled how the virus devastated his “fit” father-in-law’s health.

Mr Leaman said: “It wasn’t until we lost contact with Dougie and he was on a ventilator in ICU that this really hit.

“Although he had other health conditions he was a really fit person who enjoyed hillwalking.

“But it was so swift, so quick, that it caught him unawares.”

Mr Leaman said another comfort is knowing his dad is now “together again” with his mum.

However, losing three loved-ones in four weeks has devastated his daughter.

Mr Leaman added: “It’s not something a nine-year-old should go through.

“It’s bad enough one, but having three in four weeks is too much.

“We have a really small immediate family but a very close family. That was our world and now it’s three less.

“People don’t really realise unless it’s affected somebody they know.

“But people need to realise it is real.

“These guidelines that are set out need to be followed.

“It may be them next and their families and we would not want anyone to go through what we have had to go through.”

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