Coronavirus: GoFundMe campaign raises more than £80,000 for family of pregnant nurse who died from Covid-19
Baby girl was delivered successfully via emergency caesarean section and is in good health
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Your support makes all the difference.Nearly £80,000 has been raised for the family and newborn baby of a pregnant NHS nurse who died from coronavirus.
Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, 28, who worked on a general ward at Luton and Dunstable University Hospital for five years, died on Sunday.
Her baby daughter was delivered successfully via emergency caesarean section and is in good health, according to the hospital, although it is not clear whether she has also tested positive for the disease.
Following the news of Ms Agyapong’s death, a GoFundMe page was set up to help raise money for her husband, who is currently self-isolating and has been tested for Covid-19, and her newborn baby.
In a matter of days, the campaign has surpassed its goal of £2,000, receiving £80,636 in donations from more than 4,000 people.
“Mary was a blessing to everyone she came across and her love, care and sincerity will be irreplaceable,” organiser Rhoda Asiedu wrote on the page.
“I am raising this funds for her immediate family; her husband, AJ and her baby girl little Mary, who was born at the time of her demise.
“It is humane for us to take care of them in every way we can during this heavy and trying time. You will forever be in our hearts Mary. Your memories are still with us and we will cherish them forever until we meet again. We will forever miss you.”
A number of people, including friends and colleagues, paid tribute to Ms Agyapong on the GoFundMe page.
“Sister Mary was my colleague, I worked alongside her for a few years. She deserves her family to be looked after, after she devoted her life to the NHS as a nurse,” one person wrote.
Another added: “So sorry to Mary's family and friends for her loss. She will live on in her beautiful baby girl.”
Ms Agyapong is one of at least 45 NHS staff, many of them nurses, who have died of Covid-19.
The Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said that Ms Agyapong tested positive on 5 April and was admitted to the hospital where she worked on 7 April.
The nurse, who had been working until at least 12 March, well into her third trimester, was on a general ward which has since been converted to treat coronavirus, Channel 4 News reported.
The hospital said it had not suffered any significant equipment shortages and did not have any coronavirus patients at the time Ms Agyapong took maternity leave.
David Carter, chief executive of the trust, said: “It is with great sadness that I can confirm the death of one of our nurses, Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, who passed away on Sunday.
“Mary worked here for five years, and was a highly valued and loved member of our team, a fantastic nurse and a great example of what we stand for in this trust.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Mary’s family and friends at this sad time. We ask that the family’s privacy is respected at this time.”
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