Covid Inquiry: Co Antrim family watched mother-of-four, Andrea Anthony's life support machine being switched off

Co Antrim woman Andrea Anthony, who died from Covid-19, aged 58.

Andrea Anthony, a mother-of-four who had eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, died at Antrim Area Hospital on January 2, 2021, after contracting Covid-19. She was 58.

Her only sibling Alan McCrory, who lived next door in Greenisland, said it was harrowing to watch through a window as she passed away all alone.

“They began turning off the machines while her husband Michael, their four children, eldest grandchild and I just watched in horror.”

Alan McCrory, Andrea’s brother.

“The kids let out a big scream and her son Mark ran away. Her face looked so bad; it was indented where the tubes had been, and her mouth was all cut.”

Alan, a former auxiliary nurse, who worked in the Covid ward during the worst of the pandemic, recalled how his sister went downhill rapidly once she caught the virus.

“We called an ambulance on December 13 as she was so unwell. It took five hours to arrive and then she was put on oxygen for 45 minutes before being taken to hospital. The kids were in tears as the ambulance drove away. Soon, we were informed that she was going onto a ventilator.”

A terrible Christmas came and went as the family waited anxiously for news.

Alan and Andrea with their mother Mavis McCrory

“Communication was extremely poor and there were long periods of time without updates,” Alan said.

”We discovered she’d been put on dialysis without any consultation. Shortly afterwards, the nurses put the phone to Andrea’s ear so she could hear the kids singing ‘You are my Sunshine’, as that was the song she used to sing to them when they were small. Even the nurses were crying.”

On New Year’s Day, Alan said they were told that Andrea’s organs were starting to shut down.

“It was the beginning of the end. They switched off the machines around 4.30am the following day.”

He added: “The doctor gave us wooden hearts on which to write messages and promised to put them in the body bag with her.”

After their parents split up when he was eight and Andrea was 12, Alan said his sister was “like a mummy” to him.

“We were really close. Not a day went by without us talking to each other.”

“Five of our relatives died from Covid in nursing homes. Andrea was terrified of the ventilator. Before they put her on it, she told us all she loved us and made us promise to look after Michael.”

Andrea’s family, who were denied a wake, stood by the gates of the cemetery from where they watched a digger drop her coffin into a grave.

“It was horrific,” said Alan, who hopes the Belfast inquiry will offer some truth about what really happened during the pandemic. I worked in the Covid ward. I know what was going on. They didn’t care about ordinary people. They didn’t care about Andrea.”

Alan revealed how he has struggled as a result of the grief of losing his sister.

“Andrea was the beating heart of our family. None of us have been in the living room in her house since. Her shoes and glasses are still sitting there, exactly where they were when she left.”