The first-time mom had been diagnosed with the virus but she was told she has a mild case. She was never admitted to the hospital.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on April 30, 2020. It has since been updated.
The global health crisis has taken many lives, young and old. Each of them was precious to someone and each loss is a tragedy in epic proportions to the person's family. Some people have been left devastated by their loss/es since it has wrecked their happy family.
One family in Birmingham, UK suffered a blow when they lost a precious person, who was a daughter, wife, sister, and a new mother. Fozia Hanif had turned 29 only a month before her untimely death in Birmingham. She was on the ventilator when she should have been playing with her newborn.
Fozia, who was one of five siblings and worked for probation services at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court, had lost a child during her first pregnancy in 2019. So, when she got pregnant again she went to the hospital for regular maternity check-ups to ensure that everything went well, according to Mirror UK. It was during one such visit to the hospital that it was discovered that she had a mild fever and so she was tested for the virus that has taken many lives across the world.
When the test result came back, it was found that she was positive. "They said we’re going to keep her here to find out and we’re going to do a...test and they kept her for 2 days.
The test came back positive and the next day they said it was mild and you can go home. After 4 days she had difficulty breathing and we called the ambulance," said her husband, Wajid Ali, to ITV, as per Metro UK.
Fozia's sister, Sophia, added that the paramedics checked her and "everything was alright in terms of her blood pressure and sugar levels, but they still had to take her into hospital for her baby." Fozia gave birth to her son, Ayaan Hanif Ali, the second day she was at the hospital. He was born on April 2, 2020, by Caesarean section. Afterward, the new mom was taken to the recovery ward, from where she was able to speak to her family over the phone. But, instead of being able to touch or feed her baby like a normal mom would be able to, she was fighting for her life. Her health got worse and she was moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where she was put on a ventilator.
Due to the difficult health conditions of the virus, she couldn't receive visitors while in the ICU. Her family said that she was hardly told about her failing health. Most of the communication was between her doctors and them. Even that was sporadic and late.
"I think it brought us more anxiety ... At one stage we were told she was getting better," said her father Nabil Hanif. "It gave us proper hope … we got excited. They took her to the recovery ward, they gave her the phone… we actually spoke to her," the distraught father said.
Wajid was called days after she was admitted to the ICU to be told that her situation was getting worse. She had a blood clot and was in a coma. Her husband and father were able to see her one last time. They donned on protective gear to see their precious girl in the ICU.
Fozia Hanif never got to meet her new-born baby but held a picture of him before she died in hospital with coronavirus. She had just celebrated her 29th birthday when she started to develop symptoms and tested positive, forcing a premature birth of her boy, Ayaan, on April 2. pic.twitter.com/pt219pdv0y
— Rohit Kachroo (@RohitKachrooITV) April 23, 2020
Between April 2 and April 8, which is the date of her death, she wasn't able to see or hold her baby. She only saw him through pictures before passing away after ensuring that the life of her second baby is safe.
"She had no time at all," said Sophia. She was asking for food, she was asking about the baby, she was asking about family, and then all of a sudden. It was just a shock to us all," she added.
The family of a new mother from #Birmingham who died from the coronavirus has been called an inspiration.
— Free Radio News (@freeradionews) April 24, 2020
29-year-old Fozia Hanif, died earlier this month - six days after giving birth to a baby boy. pic.twitter.com/i81usrW7ue
Her grieving dad said that their family is devastated but "we’ve got each other, holding each other, supporting each other, siblings, grandkids… she was a little superstar with us in our family. She was an inspiration to us all," as per Metro UK.
Countless others have been lost due to this difficult health crisis and our hearts go out to them. Hats off to the efforts put in by the frontline healthcare workers to save the lives of countless others.
References:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/new-mum-29-dies-coronavirus-21916119
Representational Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Laflor
