Daughter pays tribute to 'strong' mum after spending three nights by her bedside on Covid-19 ward

A grieving daughter has paid tribute to her "strong" pensioner mother, who died after contracting Covid-19 in a care home.

Gail McCarthy, told ITV News: "She was so strong, she never feared anything, all her life, I mean the first time she was ever admitted to hospital was when she was 70."

Her mother, Mary Murfin, died at the age of 86 at Leeds General Infirmary hospital.

Her daughter said it was really sad but also a blessing that she was able to spend three days at her mother's bedside in hospital.

"It's just so sad because you can't touch them you can't touch their skin, you can't cuddle or kiss them," she said.

"There's no contact, as much as I held her hand because I had gloves on I had to hold her hand, I could not hold her hand when she was dying," she added.

Mrs Murfin, who suffered from dementia and Type 2 diabetes, had been a resident at Sunnyview House Care Home in Beeston for 12 months.

After her death, the staff at the hospital managed to find time to send the family a keep sake - an identical knitted blue heart that was also placed with Mary.

The hospital's mortuary staff sent Mary's family a small knitted blue heart, an identical one which they placed with Mary. Credit: ITV News

Her daughter thanked the hospital staff for putting their own lives on the line to look after her mother.

She said: "The words can't say it can they, they were amazing, I mean them staff in their as risking their own lives, they've got families, they've got children at home."

Mary will be laid to rest with her husband who died in 2006.

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