Elaine Crowley has shared her heartache following her mum’s recent bout of ill health.
In late 2019 Mary V was diagnosed with lung cancer, and just recently, fell incredibly sick.
They were named as close contacts with someone with Covid-19 and she has never seen her mum as ill.
Elaine begged people to be careful when it comes to the virus as it could be detrimental to people with underlying health issues.
“I got an awful fright myself since [the pandemic] has happened, I’ve been terrified my mother was going to get Covid,” she said on her self-titled Virgin Media show.
“We were in close contact with somebody, we were locked into the house, I was there with my mother.
“She was very, very sick, she had an inconclusive Covid test – the first one – you have to presume that she had it.”
Seeing her mother so ill scared Elaine, as the severity of it continued to grow for some time.
“I had a few days where my mother was very, very, very sick and it was touch and go and it broke my heart to pieces… sorry, but it was the darkest time of my life and that kind of fear I don’t think people get.
“And just because someone’s older, just because someone has an underlying illness does not mean that their life isn’t worth anything.”
Through tears she continued, “Sorry for getting emotional but a lot of people I think are throwing away the elderly under the bus because of this.
“Luckily my mother did not have Covid, the next test was negative but we were the lucky ones.”
Elaine wasn’t able to see her mum for the entirety of the first lockdown as Mary was based in Cork while she was working in Dublin.
The presenter revealed “it broke my heart to pieces” as she couldn’t be with any of her loved ones.
“I’m terrified of catching it and I’m terrified of passing it onto anybody else because I couldn’t live with it,” she said.
“Because I know from people close to me who work in hospitals, who work in Covid wards, who work in intensive care they have seen the absolute heartbreak that has gone on. And unless it has touched you you can’t be that empathic with people.”