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They were to be a happy family of three, now there’s only sorrow
Hopes shattered, it is a lonely life he faces as he looks to the future. A few weeks ago, there was much to look forward to – after two years of marriage, he and his wife who were both in their 40s were overjoyed.
Their life would be complete for his wife, Nilika Fernando, was expecting a baby and three months into her pregnancy.
Tragedy struck this week though and on Friday, Chaminda was in an empty and silent home in Narangoda Paluwa, Ragama, awaiting transport to a quarantine centre.
Nilika was the first expectant mother in the country who died of COVID-19 this week and Chaminda who has been advised not to leave his home was not even able to bid her goodbye as she went on her final journey.
“Podi kessak thibbe (there was only a slight cough),” says Chaminda, as his voice breaks and he pauses, the silence deafening with sadness and poignancy, over the phone.
Life was usual. Nilika was working in a private company, while Chaminda’s livelihood was driving. They cooked, did their household chores and in the evening watched TV.
When Nilika got the cough, they went to a nearby private hospital. Having undergone testing, she was found to be positive for COVID-19 and was taken to a tertiary-care hospital and as she was asymptomatic (without symptoms) transferred to an intermediate care centre. It was there that she got bad and was transferred back to the original hospital where she collapsed and died soon after.
A heartbreaking Facebook post by a young doctor gives a glimpse of how they tried to save Nilika but how deadly the virus is.
Husband and wife had been in constant touch on the mobile while Nilika was in hospital – “Digatama api katha kara,” sighs Chaminda, recalling those precious conversations.
All wrapped in plastic, he had not been able to follow the cortege even at a distance as it wended its sad way to the Batuwatte cemetery. It had just been Chaminda’s “akkala-nangila” and her “mallila denna” who said the final goodbye, that too from a distance, as they watched the cremation.
“Aney manda….kiyanna deyak ne (I don’t know what to say),” Chaminda murmurs.
| ‘130 expectant mothers hit by COVID-19, two in ICU’ | |
| Around 130 expectant mothers are currently receiving treatment for COVID-19, with two in the ICU, said the Director of the Family Health Bureau, Dr. Chithramalee de Silva. The first death of an expectant mother due to COVID-19 occurred on Tuesday. Calling for more facilities for expectant mothers affected by COVID-19, Dr. de Silva requests them, in this time of the spread of COVID-19, to take all precautions to stay safe for their sake as well as the sake of the babies they are carrying. Be extra vigilant. Explaining that the chances of developing complications would be high during pregnancy, she cautioned them against leaving home unless essential. “If you have to leave your homes, wash your hands with soap and water; wear the face-mask properly; adhere to physical distancing; and avoid attending gatherings such as funerals and also poorly-ventilated closed spaces,” she said. Dr. de Silva advised expectant mothers to attend their clinics and if unable to do so, contact their healthcare worker. They should be alert about emergencies such as fever, bleeding, bad headaches, difficulty in breathing, vision issues, seizures, chest or abdominal pain, swelling of the body and reduced movement of the baby and go to hospital immediately. If anyone in your home gets COVID-19 or is under quarantine or you develop COVID-19 symptoms, you should inform your healthcare worker immediately, she added. Meanwhile, a source from the Sri Lanka College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists said that since the start of the pandemic Sri Lanka has had around 1,000 expectant mothers from across the country who have got COVID-19. |