Waterford Covid-19 widow: 'He'll never ask can he make me a cup of tea again'

Nigel Pim’s wife, Jeni, said that her husband “was kind to everybody” and that “he was my soulmate”

Nigel Pim at University Hospital Waterford after developing mild symptoms after Christmas.

A grieving family in Waterford have urged people to take Covid-19 seriously after losing a husband and father to the disease.

Nigel Pim, 50, died on Thursday at University Hospital Waterford after developing mild symptoms after Christmas.

It started with a little cough that slowly got worse from there.

The family said they have been overwhelmed by the support they have gotten and wanted to thank people for it.

Mr Pim’s wife, Jeni, said that her husband “was kind to everybody” and that “he was my soulmate”.

She told WLR’s Deise Today programme: “We were so careful. We do not know where Nigel got this. All of us tested negative.

“Jordan (their daughter) tested negative twice. She had symptoms so we sent her for testing again.” 

Ms Pim said that Nigel worked from home most of the time and rarely left the house.

“I walked him into the hospital and I squeezed his hand and said I’ll see you in a few days,” she said.



“And they brought him straight up to the Covid ward and I think at that stage he was one of the only ones in there.

“He got sicker and sicker and sicker and then he was brought into the ICU.” 

Ms Pim said people “have no idea the work” that hospital staff are doing there. 

“Every single one of them is doing their job, they say, but it’s not. They are doing so much more.” 

Ms Pim said she tried not to ring very often as she felt if they were speaking to her they weren’t helping her husband or other people.

Her daughter, Jordan, said that the staff were “so good” and explained everything carefully.

“We see these people on the news, on the ventilators. But you don’t really know what happens.” 

Jordan said Nigel had to go on dialysis and needed insulin.

“We were in there, just to say goodbye… Just all the machines and everything and all the work. Every time we went into the room we had to put on a gown, gloves, a special mask…” 

She said that every time they left the room and went back in it was a new set of PPE.

Ms Pim highlighted how the staff in hospitals have to use new PPE every time they go into a Covid patient.

She thanked a number of people in the hospital by name, including a nurse named Dave and a doctor named Craig, saying she wished she had everyone’s name to thank them.

She said that no one ever spoke down to her.

Ms Pim said that she will never be able to thank Nigel’s cousin, ICU dietician Barbara Johnson, for everything that she did.

“Whenever I had to talk to the doctors or anything like that, she always offered to stay. She always offered to come in with me to the room.

'Only 50 years of age'

“For those people who aren’t taking this seriously. To see someone you love on all these machines is absolutely heartbreaking.

“He was only 50 years of age. We were going to be 25 years married this year.” 

Ms Pim added that it’s so easy to watch the latest Covid-19 figures on the news “and go ‘oh God it’s awful’.

“And yes it is awful. But he’ll never ask can he make me a cup of tea again.

“He’ll never be able to share his knowledge because he was so knowledgable about accounts and everything.

She said: “If one person just stays at home it just makes such a difference. We need to just stay at home, please.” 

Jordan said that “it’s really hard” for the family seeing people in shops without masks and not social distancing.

She said that people who think symptoms are “just a stupid cold, it’s not just a stupid cold. People die”.

Jordan added that her father had no underlying illness and had “incredible lung health”. She said he was frequently at the gym and running.

“It can happen to anyone.”