A woman who shared a post of her and her Covid-stricken mother in hospital together just 24 hours before she died has warned others about the dangers of the virus.
Sharing the photo of her and her mum Maria Rico, 76, holding hands while lying in hospital together, 49-year-old Anabel Sharma wrote: "Don't let this be you."
The mum and daughter were admitted to Leicester Royal Infirmary in October.
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Anabel believes they became sick, along with their whole family, after her 12-year-old son Isaac contracted the disease after returning to school in September.
As reported by Mirror Online, Anabel said: "The speed Covid ravaged through our family was frightening. Anyone can get it and it's roulette whether you will survive.
"If anyone is thinking about breaking the rules, I'd urge them to put themselves in my shoes and think about what it might be like to watch your mum die, or be told that you might not live."
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Writing on Facebook group, Humans of Covid-19, Anabel said: "No one should have to go through what we did. By the time my mum and I were rushed to A&E, we both needed ITU but they were full.
"We only got our beds because four patients died that day, freeing up spaces. The CPAP treatment for COVID is horrific and relentless, I had to wear a plastic hood 24/7 for four weeks that forced oxygen into my lungs.
"It felt like sticking your head out of a car going at 30mph, it was noisy, I couldn't see, hear, and they fed me though an opening on the side of the hood. Just take a moment.... 24/7 for four weeks.
"I asked them every day if I was going to die, and they said they didn't know. My mum died on ITU. The kind ITU team organised for my bed to be next to mum's so I could be with her until the end.
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"Talk to her, hold her hand, they also managed to allow my sister to be with us too."
Tragically, Anabel was too ill to even attend her mum's funeral, instead watching it via a live stream, alone.
She continued: "I am on oxygen and have life-changing, permanent lung damage. I have PTSD which is common for people who spend a long time on ITU."
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Anabel still struggles with her breathing and has nightmares about the time she spend in hospital.
She added: "What you read about NHS bed pressures is true, it isn't like the flu and people are dying or if they are a survivor like me, they may never be the same again."
Featured Image Credit: Anabel Sharma