Dad-of-nine's heartbreaking final messages to ex-partner before Covid death

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Some of the last messages an unvaccinated dad sent before he died of Covid have been released by his family to encourage others to get the jag.

Stephen Doyle sent the heartbreaking Whatsapp message to his ex-partner Nichola as he lay in hospital over Christmas. In the text, the dad-of-nine said he would be 'getting the jabs' as soon as possible, the Liverpool Echo reports.

He also expressed his upset at not being able to have any visitors over the festive period, with Nichola reassuring him that the family would 'have another Christmas Day'.But the otherwise healthy 45-year-old never got the chance, passing away in Warrington Hospital from Covid complications on January 3, leaving his loved ones 'devastated'.She said to him: "We will most definitely have another Xmas day when you are out, the food, presents, the lot but as long as your (sic) okay and on the mend and we will still have you here then (sic) missing Xmas is not a big deal right now."I'll video them opening their mains and send you loads of pics too."In response, Stephen said: "Okay thank you, if you get a Christmas picture get one of them tight together so it will (fit) on my screen saver, give them the best day please they still deserve it."I am getting the jabs as soon as I can."Following his death, his cousin Michelle Pierce, a nurse practitioner at Llandudno Hospital, spoke on behalf of the family.She said they wanted people to realise coronavirus was affecting younger, healthy people who haven’t been vaccinated – and their families too.Michelle, 54, said: “When Stephen was in hospital he texted his former partner Nichola and said, ‘I’m getting the jabs as soon as I can’.“He said he never wanted to go through this again.