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A WOMAN HAS publicly shared the letter her sister wrote to her shortly before she died from Covid-19.
Susan O’Neill (64) from Dublin died last Wednesday after contracting the virus, and was buried on Saturday.
Speaking to Joe Duffy on RTÉ Radio 1′s Liveline this afternoon, Lorna O’Neill read the letter on air.
Susan had been receiving treatment for cancer before she died and Lorna was unable to see her in person for some time.
The last time Lorna saw her sister was outside her bedroom a few weeks ago when she was dropping off shopping at her home. She said not being able to hug Susan was very difficult.
Susan wrote Lorna a heartfelt letter for her to read after her death. Susan’s daughter left it in Lorna’s glove compartment in her car for her to find.
Lorna said Susan had asked her if she wanted her to write her a letter. She “told her there was no need” to as she knew her sister loved her, but Susan wrote one anyway.
She wrote: “Yours is the hardest letter to write, how can I put into words how much I love you and how grateful I am to have you as my sister.”
https://soundcloud.com/rte-radio-1/lorna-oneill-spoke-to-joe-about-losing-her-sister-to-covid-19-last-week
Susan described the time she and Lorna spent together as “precious”, saying : “There’s nothing to compare to sisterly love.”
She wrote: “I know you will be very sad when I’m gone but I’ll always be with [you], and you will get through this…
“P.S. I cried writing this letter, I expect you to do the same reading it. :)”
Lorna said she and Susan were “extremely close”, and she plans to frame the “beautiful” letter.
‘Unbelievable’ support at funeral
Lorna said her family was dreading Susan’s funeral due to the Covid-19 restrictions in place, especially in relation to the limited number of people who could attend.
Lorna said about 200 loved ones and neighbours lined the streets near Susan’s home on Balally Drive and the church on the day of her funeral, clapping as the hearse drove by.
She said “the love and the care that we felt from all these people that had made this effort” was “just unbelievable”.
“The love just lifted our hearts and it really got me through it,” Lorna said, thanking everyone for their support.
She encouraged listeners to do this where possible at funerals as it meant so much to her family and will also mean a lot to others who are grieving during the pandemic.
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These are very lonely times for distressed people with no services & with Simon and Leo’s view on the countrys future and of course their spectacular failures in their housing and health ministries is it any wonder more and more citizens are despairing about ending up homeless & on endless hospital & social services waiting lists
The breakdown/disappearance of any semblance of community in rural Ireland is a huge factor in the rocketing rise in self-harm and suicide. Personally, my view is there is no such thing as society now – rather a random agglomeration of individuals who happen to be in the same place. On the peak periods for self-harm (and worse) there is no doubt that the period between Xmas day and Jan 1st is the most dangerous. I am aware of 4 people who have taken the ultimate step away from living in that period, over the last 3 years.
Liquid courage is definitely a factor. This is no surprise. Alcohol and cutting both serve the purpose of medicating emotional pain. In the case of cutting, the physical pain is easier to focus on than the emotional.
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