Imagine being married to someone for more than half a century and not getting to say goodbye. Hurts at the thought of it, right?
Well, that is exactly what a nurse thought when she saw an elderly couple in the hospital she works at.
Sister Emma Barker witnessed a couple - John and Marjorie Wilson - admitted to Queen's Hospital Burton.?
Back in May, John, 92, was given the heartbreaking news that he was suffering from terminal cance,r and had to get admitted to the hospital in which his wife Marjorie, 88, was also being cared for.
Marjorie was due for discharge back to her nursing home and the staff realised that the couple may never get to see each other again. Sister Emma arranged for John and Marjorie's beds to be pushed together so they could have a final farewell.
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The couple held hands for around 10 minutes and Emma even managed to take a photograph of the heartwarming yet sad moment to give to their family.
John sadly passed away at home on June 15. He and Marjorie were married for 62 years.?
Emma said:?"I can't even imagine what it's like to be married to someone for more than 60 years and know that you're never going to see them again."
"The picture had everyone crying when they saw it - it was very emotional and powerful. To hear how happy the family were after receiving this picture has really impacted us all and the letter that they sent was so lovely."
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"The whole reason you become a nurse is to care for people and to have moments like this. To now know that?Mr?Wilson's son will have not only this photo, but also the knowledge that his father saw his mother for a final time, will remain a significant memory for me."
"I like to treat all patients as if they were my family and I know that I would be extremely humbled knowing someone had done that for a relative of mine."
The couple's son, Kurt, wrote a letter to the hospital, thanking the staff for the final photo and also praised the staff for making sure his father was able 'to die how he wanted to, peacefully and in my arms'.
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He added: "A special thank you to Sister Emma, who had the foresight to take a photo of mum and dad together for the last time.?Again, words are not enough to express my gratitude to you all."
What a touching thing to do for the memories of a family!