A poignant photo has captured the heartbreaking moment a devoted couple laid side-by-side for the last time before they both died of cancer.
Sixty-nine-year-old Lynne Johnson had been battling an aggressive brain tumor while her husband, Chris Johnson, 76, was diagnosed with bowel and liver cancer.
In their last days together, the couple, who had barely spent a day apart in their 52 years of marriage, were cared for in the same hospice room.
A picture shows the couple lying by each other’s side so they can hold hands for the last time.
Shortly after the photo was taken at Ashgate Hospice in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, Mrs. Johnson died on Feb. 13, followed by her husband, who passed away on Feb. 21.
Their daughter Julie Whittaker shared the tear-jerking image in a touching tribute to her beloved parents.
“Dad was there for Mom’s last breath,“ Ms. Whittaker said. ”He was holding her hand, and he took so much comfort in that.
“When mom died, it took him a few days to come to terms with it. On the Saturday, he burst into tears and said, ‘Has Lynne really gone?’”
He was heartbroken to know that his wife had passed away; he just gave up and didn’t eat or drink again.
“I don’t think he would have died that day if Mom was still alive,” Ms. Whittaker said.
Mr. Johnson was a milkman out on his rounds when he first met Mrs. Johnson.
Their relationship blossomed, and the couple tied the knot in June 1972. The pair then had two children—Gary Jonhson and Ms. Whittaker.
Mr. and Mrs. Johnson spent most of their time together and were rarely apart.
“They did everything together,” Ms. Whittaker said. “Other than when they were at work, they were never apart; they were proper soulmates.”
Mr. Jonhson, who later worked as a bus driver before he retired, was diagnosed with bowel and liver cancer in October 2023. Three months later, his wife, a former carer, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a cancerous brain tumor.
The couple moved into adjacent rooms in the hospice until staff fulfilled their dying wish of being together for their final days.
“The care was just phenomenal. Not just for Mom and Dad but for all of us, the hospice was with us from the start and are still there for us now,“ Ms. Whittaker said. ”If both couldn’t be cared for at the hospice, it would have been so heartbreaking for us, choosing who we were going to be with.”
Together, their family was able to spend more time with both of them.
Ms. Whittaker has been grateful to the hospice for going above and beyond to offer them support. Mr. Johnson was able to enjoy a glass of wine, and his brother Alwyn would visit the couple every day with their dog, Tess.
“Alwyn and Tess were there when Dad died, which was special for him,” Ms. Whittaker said.
Reflecting on her parents’ death, she said: “Even to this day, it doesn’t feel real. It’s not been long since they passed away–how have they just gone? It was such a whirlwind, everything happened so quickly.”
She’s now calling on the government to review funding so more people can access end-of-life services.
“Not only do all people deserve the end-of-life care that my parents received, but when patients are in a hospice instead of a hospital it takes the strain off the NHS,” she said. “Nothing is too much trouble for staff at the hospice; there is so much love and compassion.
“I just wish that more families could be as well looked after as we were.”
