Forever Holding Hands - Hold Still

Hayley? Hello. Hello, how are you? I'm very good, thank you. How are you? Good, fine. Hayley, I wanted to say a huge thank you to you for sending in the wonderful, very moving photograph of your grandparents. I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm hugely grateful for you sending in such a personal photograph. Were you able to spend quite a bit of time with them? They were isolating by themselves. So they lived together and they were quite, they needed some help but they were living very independently. So they were isolating for five weeks and we used to go and leave food and things on their back door. One day my granddad fell over and had to go into hospital because he'd fractured his hip. So at some point he picked up COVID. My mum went and lived with them for three weeks and each one of them got ill. Oh no, and your mum as well? Yeah, my mum got COVID. Because they were in a room by themselves, after a few days of being in hospital and my nan got the positive results, they were able to put them in the same room. That means the world to them. My nan, it made her absolute life being able to be next to him. She'd just sit there holding his hand, love you Ron, love you Ron, come on Ron. And he was like, stop talking. It was the best thing that they could have done for them. The photograph is so moving and that's what I think is so lovely is actually hearing people's stories and the things that have really resonated for them and I loved your sentence about saying how they appreciate the tiny things and they took nothing for granted and it was just that ability to touch each other and hold each other in those last few days. I think things like that shouldn't be taken for granted particularly in the last few days of life. Although obviously it's a sad photo, it's also so happy as well. When I look at it, I feel really sad but I also feel really joyful that they could do that and that's exactly how they've lived their lives and that's exactly how they were going to end their lives. And that they had, in that moment of time, the comfort in each other. The night before my nan went in Costco, I have to tell you this, we were watching all the V-Day celebrations and I had a really, really good chat with her and she was talking about how much she loves the Queen and then we saw some videos of you in your outfit. Well, her photos being selected would have meant so much to her because it's you and the fact that you're having such an impact. They impact so many people's lives but the fact that you're still having an impact and their ripples and their message. Because that was their message all through their lives as well with each other and love and the little things and it's just reaching so many people. So it means so much to me and my mum especially. It really means so much to her. Wherever they are, they'll be trusted. Her memory will certainly be remembered, that's for sure and their message, the fact that that resilience and bravery but also these small acts are the things that really matter and that really keep us together. And I think that's such an important message, especially during lockdown and I think that really resonates with lots and lots of people. So thank you so much, Hayley, for sharing your photo and for particularly such a moving and personal time for your whole family. Thanks very much for calling. No, not at all. Hopefully I'll pass on meeting in the future.