The last time her husband was admitted to the hospital, it took him more than 100 days to get discharged. This time, he never came back.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on November 3, 2020, and has since been updated.
Would you deny if we said that all of us at some point or the other fear the loss of our loved ones? For some, it's their biggest nightmare. Life seems to slow down and there seems to be no direction where you can turn and meet the lost one again.
In a recent heartbreaking incident, a woman faced a similar situation where she couldn't bear to live without her loved one and decide to go where he was as well. The grieving widow, Susan Bamfield, took her own life just a day after her husband passed away from coronavirus.
The 71-year-old's family said that Susan's husband, 76-year-old former Wing Commander Robin Bamford, had been admitted to the hospital for sepsis at the beginning of the pandemic. Back in 2016, he was in the intensive care unit for almost 100 days due to the same problem, but this time the family wanted him to stay at home, reported The Mirror.
Sarah Bamfield, the couple's eldest daughter revealed that they had begged the hospital to let their father be at home because his condition was particularly vulnerable. At the inquest that was heard on October 28 at Reading Coroners Court, Susan said, "We begged them not to take him into hospital but the doctors said that was the only way, so he had a month in the hospital. They had actually managed to alleviate the problem as such, then - Covid."
After Robin was taken to the hospital, he contracted the virus and passed away on May 1, leaving his wife to live without him with their son Mark Bamfield in Wokingham, Berkshire. Susan couldn't stand the thought of staying away from her beloved for one more minute, and decided what she had to do.
Mark found her the next day lying unresponsive on her bed. Next to her was a suicide note that was addressed to him and his sister Sarah. Assistant Coroner Alan Blake summarised the emotional note and said at the inquest, "It was addressed to Sarah and to Mark, seeking your forgiveness for leaving but expressing your mother feeling broken-hearted and being unable to live without your father." He added, "She wanted you both to know how much she loved both of you."
The officials who investigated the case found an empty pack of anti-depressant medication. However, Mark hadn't expected his mother to take such a drastic step. He told the police that he was unaware Susan was suicidal. He further said that she was a pancreatic cancer survivor and had only recently started taking the medicines for anxiety and depression.
He said, "Susan, mum, was a loving wife, loving mother-of-two and extremely loving and proud grandmother-of-two. Mum was an emotional lady, often having to resort to anti-depressants to cope," reported Metro.
"With the loss of her dear husband, she just could not carry on. It is with great sadness that mum decided to take her life and join my father on his journey to the afterlife," he added.
The inquest heard that Susan volunteered at the Blue Cross charity shop in Wokingham after she retired as a sales consultant. In the statement of the family, Mark pointed out that Susan was in "relatively fit health for her age" and the postmortem reports revealed that the cause of death was the "toxicity of the anti-depressant drug." No signs of alcohol or other drugs were detected.
The inquest was concluded with Coroner Alan saying, "Susan Bamfield was profoundly distressed when her husband Robin became seriously ill." Describing the events of the sad day, he added, "I am satisfied both by the sad circumstances of this case and the expressions in the note that she left for you and Mae that Susan did take her own life by means of an overdose and that she intended to do so in her grief on May 2."
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