A MUCH loved NHS nurse has died after battling coronavirus for the past three weeks.

Philomina Cherian, 62, worked in the Acute Assessment Unit at the John Radcliffe hospital as part of a 15-year career with the NHS.

Mrs Cherian had spent 15 days on a ventilator in intensive care, prior to her death in the early hours of Friday morning.

Her husband, Joseph Varkey, 63, paid tribute to her.

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He said: “She was very loving and always there, she went above and beyond, and was always in a good mood, laughing and smiling.

“She was a wonderful woman, a wonderful mum, and a wonderful wife.

“This was all so unexpected, when she left in the ambulance, we didn’t know that was going to be the end.

“The last time we spoke wasn’t really a goodbye.

“She was heavily sedated in the intensive care unit for 15 days and was on a ventilator.”

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Mrs Cherian, who lived in Marston, had been hospitalised for a week prior to going into intensive care.

Mr Varkey himself has been recovering from Covid-19 for the past month, so was therefore unable to visit his wife in the hospital.

His son, Jerrin, was able to visit Mrs Cherian three times whilst she was hospitalised, including the day before she died.

Mr Varkey said on that day his son ‘saw evidence that would be the last time he saw her’.

Mrs Cherian worked for the NHS for 15 years, as a staff nurse in various roles.

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Mr Varkey said: “Working for the NHS meant quite a lot to her.

“She was a very important member of the community and knew a lot of people both in the NHS and outside of work.

“She had a lot of friends as she was very outgoing.

“She liked cooking and was always trying out new stuff, and reading too.”

The family moved to the UK from Kerala in 2005, and Mrs Cherian and her husband had bought a house there in November, in the hope of moving back to retire at a later date.

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Mrs Cherian previously worked as a nurse in Saudi Arabia.

A GoFundMe has been created to help support the family, and has so far raised over £7,000.

A family friend who had known the family since 2006 said Mrs Cherian ‘was always there’ for her three children.

They also said that ‘for all of us, she was well known – it is a great shock’.

Another family friend told the Oxford Mail that Mrs Cherian’s death was ‘shocking news for us in the Indian community’.

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Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) said Mrs Cherian was a popular and hugely valued member of the nursing family and will be sorely missed by colleagues.

Sam Foster, chief nursing officer, said: “I wanted to express that at this very sad time our thoughts are with the family of Philomina, as well as with her friends and colleagues throughout the Trust.

“She was an incredibly caring friend and colleague who will be terribly missed by us all.

“Many of you will have known her and worked closely with her and I ask you to remember how she wonderfully cared for her patients and her colleagues, acting as an exemplar nurse to all who met her.

“Philomina was cared for with the utmost love, care and attention and we would like to thank all staff who were involved in her care.”

OUH also said it is offering support to Mrs Cherian's colleagues and those staff who cared for her.