My sister's life was not DISPOSABLE

Bond actor Rory Kinnear shares memories of his beloved sister, Karina, who died of coronavirus - and his hopes for the future

- RORY KINNEAR

My sister Karina died at the age of 48. She tested positive for coronavirus early on 6 May and it quickly attacked her stomach, her lungs and her kidneys. When she was admitted to hospital, the carbon dioxide levels in her blood soon began to rise, a worrying sign.

On 9 May we all FaceTimed her to tell her how much she meant to us, and tried to raise one more of her life-affirming laughs, desperately scanning the screen for any sign of responsiveness, any sign of hope. By then, however, we knew that she was only being kept alive in hospital by her BiPAP (bilevel positive airway pressure) machine, and on Sunday 10 May, we were, with great kindness and tact, told we should say our final virtual goodbyes.

Heroic and inspiring

A nurse, Patricia, held up Karina’s iPad, while my mum, via FaceTime on her mobile, narrated a favourite story of hers for the last time and thanked her for the happiness she had brought us all. Mum then held up her home phone to her mobile, where my other sister, Kirsty, at hers, was able to say how much she loved Karina and would miss her. And then Kirsty held up her husband’s phone to hers where I, on the loudspeaker, from my house, played Karina one of her favourite songs and told her how proud I was to have been her brother and what gratitude I felt for what she had taught me about life.

We had wanted to be with her together as a family and, under lockdown conditions – and knowing my mother’s strengths lie in areas other than navigating Zoom – it was as good as we could have hoped.