JO Whiley says it has been the “worst week of our lives” as her sister, who has a learning disability and diabetes, battles Covid in hospital.
The Radio 2 DJ, 55, said her younger sister Frances Whiley, 53, had been offered a vaccine on Saturday but it was “too late” and she is now “fighting for her life” – while she struggles to understand what is going on.
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Jo Whiley’s sister, left with the Radio 2 DJ, is battling Covid in hospitalCredit: BBC
She revealed: “It has been the worst week of our lives without a shadow of a doubt.
“24 hours ago we were talking palliative care… we are seeing her oxygen levels rise so at the moment, we’ve got hope.
“When she was at the hospital, she was so terrified that she actually rampaged through the hospital and people couldn’t contain her.
“Security guards had to be involved, they had to restrain her.”
It comes after Jo questioned why she was offered the vaccine before her sister, who has the rare genetic syndrome Cri du Chat.
Jo said this has been ‘the worst week of our lives’ as her sister is now ‘fighting for her life’Credit: Splash News
Jo has questioned why she was offered the vaccine before her sister, who has a learning disability and diabetesCredit: Instagram
What is cri du chat?
It is a chromosomal condition that happens when a piece of chromosome 5 is missing.
Cri du chat gets its name from the characteristic cry in infants, it sounds similar to a mewing kitten.
This is due to problems with the larynx and nervous system, but is usually gone by the age of two.
Other symptoms include feeding problems, low birth weight, unusual facial features and cognitive disabilities.
The condition affects an estimated 1 in 50,000 and is more common in females.
People with diabetes and those with a “severe or profound” learning disability are in priority group six for the coronavirus vaccine, along with unpaid carers for those with disabilities and the elderly.
Speaking to Andrew Marr on Sunday, Jo added: “I have no idea why I was offered the vaccine and my sister wasn’t. It felt like the cruelest twist in the world, because I’ve been asking, wanting for her to have the vaccine for a year… to be protected.
“She actually was called in for her vaccine Saturday night… but it’s too late, she’s fighting for her life in hospital… It just couldn’t be crueler.”
More than 13m of the nation’s most vulnerable should be vaccinated within six weeks, the Government has vowed
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