Three relatives of same family all die of COVID in same week
A family have been left devastated after three members all lost their lives to coronavirus in the same week.
Grieving widow Claire Lewis, 44, lost her husband, mother-in-law and brother-in-law all within just five days of each other.
Husband Dean, 44, died at the family home in Treorchy in the Rhondda, South Wales, after a battle with the virus.
His death came just one day after he lost his mum Gladys, 74, at the nearby Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant, the scene of a COVID outbreak linked to 51 deaths.
Another blow was then dealt to the family when Dean's brother Darren, 42, died with the virus in ICU on 2 November.
Mrs Lewis said: "As a family, we are extremely grateful to each and every person that has offered us help in any way and are taking some comfort from the hundreds of condolence messages we have all received."
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Family friend Alison Higgins has now launched a fundraising campaign and raised almost ￡3,000.
She said: "This is the stuff of nightmares, it's incomprehensible what’s happened.
"Knowing how much fundraising the family have done over the years, it was only right we came together for them.
"The community are aware of their charitable ways and that shows in how much help we're receiving at the moment.
"We've got various raffles going on and the GoFundMe page has smashed target and continues to accumulate daily.
"I just want to get this family as much money as possible to support them with the three funerals and use the rest for whatever they may need."
Dr David Miller, of Forest View Medical Centre, Treorchy, has been helping the family.
He said: "This has had a devastating effect on the family and I wish people would take this pandemic seriously."
Watch: Can you catch the coronavirus twice?
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