Dudley woman who lost her husband to Covid makes donation to hospital that cared for him
A Dudley woman who lost her 38-year-old husband to coronavirus has paid tribute to the hospital staff who cared for him and presented them with gift bags.
Graham Dodd died in Russells Hall Hospital on January 30, having tested positive for coronavirus on January 2, and being admitted to hospital six days later.
Hannah Dodd and fellow members of Brierley Hill Methodist Church have donated 70 gift bags for the team in critical care who looked after Graham.
She said: “They couldn’t have been any better with us. Between me and my mother-in-law we were calling them a couple of times every day. They kept us informed of what was happening.
“At the point it was clear there was nothing more that could be done I was allowed on the ward, with my parents, so I could be with him as he passed.”
Graham’s mother lives in Bury St Edmonds and had not been able to see him since Christmas 2019. She was also unable to travel for the funeral.
While Graham was ill, the church received regional funding to spend on community causes, and topped this up with church funds to buy gifts for the staff. Despite her loss, Hannah felt it was still important to give these to the nurses, doctors and support team.
Hannah also had Covid, along with her cousin, who was in hospital in Kidderminster for 52 days.
Careful
She said: “Covid isn’t something that just affects people who are elderly. Even with the vaccine we still need to be careful because I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.
"If people don’t take it seriously, we are going to keep going backwards and forwards. We’ve worked so hard to get to this point, please don’t mess it up now.”
Hannah is a podiatrist who works for the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, although she is based in the community rather than at the hospital.
She said: “As an employee of the trust I have seen how hard everybody is working to do the best they can in such difficult circumstances, whether it’s in hospital or the community.
"The work that’s going on is just fantastic and I’m really proud to be a part of the trust."
Chief nurse Mary Sexton added: “This is a very kind gesture from Brierley Hill Methodist Church and will be appreciated by the staff on ITU.
"I would like to extend the condolences of everyone in The Dudley Group to Hannah for her loss, and thank her for thinking of our staff at this time.”
