BBC News NI reporter
BBCA County Fermanagh woman who lost both her parents to Covid-19, within just over a month of each other, has said “life stopped” when they died.
Hazel Gray was among those who gathered for a memorial concert in Belfast to honour loved ones who died during the pandemic.
It was part of a UK-wide day of reflection to mark five years since the start of the outbreak of the virus.
Ms Gray’s parents George and Violet Little died in December 2020 and January 2021 respectively, they were 80 and 78 years old.
“They disappeared. It’s the only way I can describe it,” Hazel Gray told BBC News NI.
“They went to hospital and never came home. The only parts of them that came home were two bags of contaminated waste, which was an insult. It’s just heart breaking.”
Ms Gray said she hasn’t “moved on” from her grief.
“There’s no way of explaining it unless you’ve been through this,” she said.
“It’s as if life stopped and slowly you’re just trying to regain the fact that this happened, and you do have to keep going.”
Ms Gray, who is from just outside Enniskillen, said she takes inspiration from her mother.
“My mum’s motto in life was, ‘sure what do you do?’
“You have to do whatever you can to keep going through life and not let anything get in your way of living,” she said.
“She was disabled but she never let that stop her. So I take that as my inspiration.”
Ms Gray said coming together with others who had lost loved ones during the pandemic brought some comfort – because they understood.
She also praised the Memory Stones of Love project, which features stones painted with images to reflect the lives of those lost.
“The memory stones – it’s so special – they just brought something back,” she said.
“My parents are alive again because of a couple of stones. It’s just so special to see their names and their own little story.”
Ms Gray described how her mother’s stone featured a ball of wool and knitting needles, because she loved to knit, as well as a blue tit, because she enjoyed watching the birds in her garden.
Her father’s depicted the blue tractor he had on his farm and the motif of the silver band of which he was a member for most of his life.
“That was the story that those two stones portrayed, which was a little snap shot of their life,” she added.
The memorial concert, which featured music from a choir as well as performances from solo singers, was organised by Memory Stones of Love group.
Co-lead of the group Brenda Doherty, whose mother Ruth Burke died early in the pandemic, told BBC News NI that “hope” was one of the main themes of the day.
She said bringing people together to remember their loved ones helped tackle the “stigma” of grief.
She added that the group was continuing to campaign for a permanent memorial in Northern Ireland for those who lost their lives during the pandemic.
“Our memory stones need a home, and they need somewhere – a positive and reflective space – where people can go and remember and honour their loved ones,” she said.
