Yahoo News Coronavirus: Husband of British woman who died in Bali says they had a "few minutes" to say goodbye
The husband of a British woman who died on holiday in Bali after contracting coronavirus has told how they were able to able to exchange goodbyes “for a few minutes” before she passed away.
Kimberley Finlayson – who had underlying health conditions – underwent two emergency operations in an Indonesian government hospital before her death on March 11.
Her husband Ken Finlayson, who tested negative for the virus, described how he has “lost half of himself”.
He told the BBC: “I talked to her. She said that she loved me and we exchanged that for a few minutes and looked into one another’s eyes.”
His comments come as the death toll in the UK reached 177 as of 7am on Saturday morning.
He said: “Myself and my four children are absolutely devastated to lose the most beautiful wife and mother.
“She’s so generous, she’s so full of life, she’s so powerful, courageous, supportive of all of us. I’ve lost half of myself.”
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Mr Finlayson cautioned other UK citizens when travelling overseas and urged them to “be strong” for their families in the months to come.
He said: “The lesson for the British public to realise is that if you go to these places then people really mean well but you’re giving up that level of care which we expect and you are playing Russian roulette with your lives if you become critical.”
He said: “Mistakes were being made. I don’t believe… if this had happened in Barnet Hospital, I believe our great NHS would have saved Kimberley.
“I don’t think she would have been anywhere near as critical in the first place.
“Tragically in the UK there will be many people who will suffer, I’m sure, over the months ahead. You need to be strong for your family and the memory of your loved one who died in such tragic circumstance.”
He added that there was an irony in the now-familiar phrase “underlying health issues” – referring to his wife, who had diabetes.
He said: “I don’t know many people in their 50s who haven’t received medication, haven’t had some health issues.”
