Sir, – From her private bedroom in St Mary’s Hospital, Phoenix Park, my aunt watched the news and read the papers.
At the beginning of March, she decided to stop going to dinner in the communal dining room and instead had food brought to her room. She kept a hand sanitiser by her bed.
She listened to Leo Varadkar’s announcement on March 12th.
On March 17th, she waved at family members through her ground-floor window for the last time. Restricted physical mobility was not new to her and the phone and the post became her communication with the outside world.
On March 29th, the nursing home rang us to tell us there was a case of Covid-19 in the facility.
The next day, she rang to let us know that fact too.
On April 19th, my aunt began displaying symptoms.
On April 25th, we learned her test result came back positive.
My wonderful aunt, Mrs Rose Hegarty, died on April 27th, 2020.
Each sentence tells a story. I hope we get to hear the full one. – Yours, etc,
JANE CARRIGAN,
Dublin 11.