MU
M SHO
U
BEEN
SAF
E
Batteredas
shesleptinher
hospitalbedFun-lovingMum
in2001,with
granddaughter
Bethany
WORDS:
FRANCES
LEATE,
LUCY
BRYANT.
PHOTOS:
SWNS
Wethoughtshewasbeing
caredfor butshewas in
gravedanger
MarkBunting,46,Hull
HEARTBREAKING
42
S
tuffing the McDonald’s
bag and the bananas
under my jacket,
I made my way up to
the hospital ward.
‘Anything for Mum,’
I whispered to my wife
Gemma, 31, hiding the grub
from the nurses.
It was March this year and
my mum Eileen, 64, had been
in Hull Royal Infirmary for
two weeks. She had kidney
problems and had just had a
stent fitted.
She was fed-up with hospital
food, so I’d promised her a treat.
‘Thanks, son,’ Mum grinned
as I sneaked the chips and
burger to her.
Not a day had gone by that
Gemma and I hadn’t visited.
The eldest of five boys,
I doted on Mum. She’d had her
hands full, bringing up me and
my brothers.
My dad Philip, 67, had
worked away a lot as a lorry
driver when we were kids.
Tough as old boots, Mum had
no trouble keeping us in check- if we got up to naughty antics,
arguingovertoysor
bunking
off school,
Mum would lay
down the law. But we
all knew how loved we were.
She spoilt her grandkids
rotten, too – all 15 of them!
She’d shove money in their
pockets, always have a
cupboard full of treats.
Now Mum was the one
who needed looking after.
She’d been struggling with
her health since she’d been
diagnosed with kidney failure,
two years before.
But tonight, as me and
Gemma sat by her bedside with
Dad, she was in good spirits.
‘My doctor said I can go home
tomorrow,’ she smiled.
‘Great news, Mum, I’ll pick
you up,’ I grinned.
She’d lost weight but had
some colour in her cheeks.
She’d been getting stronger
every day, and she really
seemed to be on the mend.
‘It’ll be a relief for the otherOn her 50th with
Dad and us boys