Ceremony at hospital will remember popular Wigan midwife

The solemn memorial event will take place a day before the first anniversary of her tragic death with Covid-19 at the age of 66.

Flowers will be laid in the remembrance space near Christopher Home at the front of the hospital and a plaque in her memory will be unveiled.

Linda tested positive for Covid-19 last March and sadly her condition deteriorated.

She was moved to the intensive care unit (ICU) on April 6 and died 11 days later.

Many of her colleagues donned PPE to see her and her son Alistair was also able to spend an hour with her before she died.

Her partner David Sheasby recently spoke to Wigan Today for the first time as the first anniversary of her death approaches.

David, who lives in Tamworth in Staffordshire, told of the couple’s love of Northern Soul which brought them together at an event in 2009 and travelling.

They enjoyed backpacking and were able to travel around the world to destinations including South America, parts of the USA and India as well as going on a cruise in the Caribbean.

Linda had Addison’s disease, a rare condition which affects the adrenal glands, and also had problems with her lungs and kidneys.

David said his partner was frightened of contracting pneumonia and believed she would die if she caught Covid-19 but was still unhappy about being sent home to shield as she wanted to be in the hospital caring for patients.

She went into hospital on March 28 last year with an Addison’s-related problem and when she returned on March 31 after feeling unwell was told she had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Heartbreakingly David shared how Linda told him over the phone that she was dying and also said that he was unable to travel from Staffordshire to be with her at her bedside or attend her funeral.

Her three decades working in maternity services at Billinge Hospital and then Wigan Infirmary where she became delivery suite co-ordinator will be remembered at 3pm.

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