THE family of a west Belfast grandmother who died from pneumonia have told of their devastation at not being able to give her the funeral she had planned for herself amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Denise Hanley, who was 58 and from Springfield Park, died at the Mater Hospital on Saturday.
The mother-of-two, who was diagnosed with asthma at the age of 13, was told just a few years ago that she also had Bronchiectasis, a long-term condition where the airways of the lungs become abnormally widened, which also makes them more vulnerable to infection.
In March she became unwell at home and was later admitted to the Mater Hospital where it was found she had pneumonia.
Her family said she was allowed home after a few days with an antibiotic as the medical team did not want to keep her in due to the threat from coronavirus.
However, last week she was again admitted to the Mater Hospital and treated for pneumonia.
She was also tested twice for Covid-19 however both tests were negative.
Doctors tried a number of treatments for the pneumonia however on Friday, the much-loved granny was told nothing more could be done.
She passed away on Saturday with her children, Kerry and Christopher by her bedside.
A death certificate issued afterwards attributed the mother-of-two's death to Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) with `Suspected Covid-19' as doctors could not rule out that she had it.
Her daughter Kerry McMahon said the inclusion of suspected coronavirus on the death certificate meant they could not wake her mother or give her the funeral she had planned herself.
"We thought the pneumonia could have been treated," she said.
"We knew she was sick but she wasn't so sick that we thought she was going to die. With this coronavirus, it has messed up everything. The doctor said there was a 20 per cent chance she had coronavirus. They couldn't rule it out because of the symptoms she was displaying because of the breathlessness and temperature."
Ms McMahon said her mother had previously planned her own funeral so her two children did not have to do it but they were not able to adhere to her wishes.
"We would have had her in her own house for a wake but we can't now," she said.
"We are absolutely heartbroken. She lived in that street from she was a child. Nobody can come and pay their respects. She wanted her hair washed and her make-up done. We had to leave her in the Mater and were told once you leave her, you can't see her again."
Yesterday, the west Belfast woman's remains stopped for a time outside her home where prayers were offered before the funeral proceeded to Milltown Cemetery.
Ms McMahon said life will "never be the same".
"We are devastated," she said.
"She was full of life even though she was so sick, she wouldn't let it keep her down.
"She was a beautiful person. She was just genuine and she was kind and she would do anything for anybody. She just doted on her grandchildren. She just loved her family."
She added: "I am angry that she didn't get what she wanted. I am angry at coronavirus. She took so much time to prepare this for herself and my mummy hasn't got what she wanted".
