Grief overload for families losing multiple members to Covid-19

Hindustan Times reaches out to three such families in the district. Arun Chopra, 35, lost both his parents in a span of two days. Sarabjit Singh, a health department employee, lost his 24-year-old son just three months after the latter’s wedding. Another family in BRS Nagar G-Block witnessed three deaths in a span of a week.

With Covid-19 coming back with a vengeance in the second wave, Ludhiana has remained the worst hit in the state with over 23,000 cases and 380 deaths in May alone. Several families have lost multiple members, leaving them with a grief that they may not be able to recover from any time soon. Hindustan Times reaches out to three such families in the district.

With Covid-19 coming back with a vengeance in the second wave, Ludhiana has remained the worst hit in Punjab with over 23,000 cases and 380 deaths in May alone. (HT FILE)

Elderly couple died one day apart

For Arun Chopra, 35, who lost both his parents in a span of two days, life will never be the same again. His father, Surinder Chopra, 67, an arhtiya, was the first to contract the virus following which his mother Kiran Lata, 60, also got infected. Subsequently, Arun, his wife and two sons also tested positive. While Arun, his wife and kids recovered, his elderly parents weren’t so lucky.

Both his parents were initially admitted to a private hospital but after 10 days, their condition started deteriorating, forcing him to rush them to government facilities. His mother was taken to Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, where she breathed her last on May 11. Before he could share the devastating news with his family, his father too passed away at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research on May 12.

Arun said he spent nearly ₹6 lakh on his parents’ treatment.

3 members of a family wiped out in a week

Another family in BRS Nagar G-Block witnessed three deaths in a span of a week. First, a 47-year-old man died, then his 75-year-old father succumbed and finally, his younger brother’s wife also lost her life to the virus. The younger brother, who was recently discharged after recovery, is devastated. “I lost three family members when I was myself under treatment. My children have lost their mother, grandfather, and uncle. We have recovered from the disease but will never recover from this tragedy,” he said, wishing to remain anonymous.

24-yr-old died just a day after he tested +ve

Sarabjit Singh, a health department employee, lost his 24-year-old son just three months after the latter’s wedding. “We were still in celebration mode when my son tested positive on April 30. We first took him to a public health centre in Payal but as his condition continued to deteriorate, we rushed him to the civil hospital, where he succumbed the next day,” said Sarabjit.