A pregnant nurse in the U.K. died from complications related to COVID-19 Sunday, but doctors were able to save her baby after delivering her via an emergency Caesarean section, reports The Guardian. Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, a 28-year-old nurse at the Luton and Dunstable University Hospital in Luton, England, tested positive for the coronavirus on April 5 and was hospitalized two days later, according to the NHS.
Agyapong had not been treating COVID-19 patients, according to the outlet, and the source of her viral exposure was unknown, as was if she had any pre-existing conditions that would have put her at a higher risk for complication in regards to the virus. Before she died, Agyapong gave birth to a baby girl, named Mary after her mother, whom a hospital spokeswoman told the BBC “was doing very well.” It was unclear if the little girl had also tested positive for COVID-19, and Agyapong’s husband is reportedly self-isolating at this time.
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A GoFundMe campaign has been set up in her honor to help support her child and husband in this difficult time, and as of Thursday had raised ยฃ112,114. “Mary was a blessing to everyone she came across and her love, care and sincerity will be irreplaceable,” the organizers of the campaign wrote. “You will forever be in our hearts Mary. Your memories are still with us and we will cherish them forever until we meet again.”
David Carter, the CEO of the Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, released a statement on her tragic death in a statement Wednesday: “It is with great sadness that I can confirm the death of one of our nurses, Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, who passed away on Sunday (12th April),” he said. “Mary worked here for five years and was a highly valued and loved member of our team, a fantastic nurse and a great example of what we stand for in this Trust. She tested positive for COVID-19 after being tested on 5th of April and was admitted to the hospital on the 7th April. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Mary’s family and friends at this sad time. We ask that the family’s privacy is respected at this time.”
