In this episode of Stolen Goodbyes, Karen speaks to Debbie Lewis who lost her father Barry to COVID-19. He was 74. His death came five months after she lost her mother Patricia to cancer. Debbie speaks fondly of her community-minded father and recalls some of the practical jokes he played as well as taking us through his battle with COVID-19.

0:00 – Intro
0:49 – Debbie recalls what her father was like as a person and recalls some of her happy memories from his life
4:49 – Debbie misses her father’s sense of humour
5:41 – Debbie goes through the details of how her father fell ill and how he insisted: “I’m not ready to go.”
8:49 – Debbie describes what hospital communication was like
10:16 – The possibility of a DNR was difficult to take
11:24 – Debbie is left with mixed emotions about how her father died
12:02 – Debbie’s sister was lucky enough to be with their father
13:20 – It was extremely hard to be locked down many miles away, not being able to speak with him
13:55 – Debbie describes what happened after her fathers passing
15:08 – Debbie has set up a support group called COVID-19 Families
16:19 – Debbie says all sorts of things keep her awake at night
17:22 – “The government’s handling of the pandemic has been absolutely shocking”
19:16 – It’s been incredibly hard for Debbie to deal with the loss of her father without support
20:18 – Debbie wishes people understood the emotional pain losing someone during lockdown causes
20:55 – The pandemic is not over!
21:31 – Debbie would tell her dad that she is helping people in her position get the support they need