A year on, families of COVID victims meet nurses and doctors who tried to save their loved ones

In an emotional meeting, the families of SA’s COVID victims have come face-to-face with the medical staff who fought so hard to save their loved ones.

It was an emotional meeting 12 months in the making.

For the families of the state’s COVID-19 victims – and the unsung heroes who desperately fought for their loved ones – it was a chance to say a heartfelt thanks.

Francesco Ferraro, 75, Linda Lavender, 62, Malcolm Todd, 76, and Roger Leaney, 74, died in the Royal Adelaide Hospital over six harrowing days in April last year.

The loving grandparents, who suffered catastrophic organ failure while in induced comas, died in isolation in the RAH’s intensive care unit.

This week, their distraught spouses – who are all virus survivors – met the ICU clinicians and nurses who cared and acted like their family in their most desperate hour of need.

There were plenty of tears, hugs and laughs as they met for the first time over morning tea on Wednesday at the RAH, where a man in his 40s remains in critical condition.

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Elisabetta Ferraro, 78, of Campbelltown, Steve Lavender, 68, of Morphett Vale, Sandi Todd, 75, of Barmera, and Veronica Leaney, 73, of Valley View, who gave The Advertiser permission to attend, wished to each pay public tribute to the “very special breed” of frontline heroes, many fighting tears.

Families of COVID victims, second from left, Sandi Todd, Elisabetta Ferraro, Veronica Leaney and Steve Lavender with medical staff Tamlyn Dell’Oro, Krish Sundararajan, Alex Wurm, Lisa Kiddy, Mandy Kocher and Amanda McClure at the RAH. Picture Matt Turner.

Those staff not on shift came in on their days off to attend the meeting. ICU head Krish Sundararajan said it was a “highly emotional event”.

“We are lost for words,” he said. “The empathy and compassion shown by my staff and … the families, particularly their kindness and thoughtfulness, is completely out of this world.

“We are deeply moved by the reciprocation. We are so thankful to the families for their humility, their honesty and more importantly … being good human beings.

“We did everything we possibly could. But we were very much in uncharted waters. We left no stone unturned.

“It’s a killer disease and it’s important for all of us to be very, very careful.”