Mother-of-ten, 54, dies of pneumonia as she was recovering from two month hospital battle with Covid as family launch appeal to pay for her funeral

• Sharon Winsper, 54, of Birmingham, was placed in an induced coma in hospital 
• Mother-of-ten had pneumonia and passed away after two-month Covid battle 
• She initially thought she had a bad cold and would recover but died 8 weeks on

A mother-of-ten has died of pneumonia after she was placed in an induced coma during a two-month battle with Covid that left her in intensive care.

Sharon Winsper, 54, from Stechford, Birmingham, initially thought she had contracted a bad cold, but developed breathing problems and was rushed to hospital. 

She was placed into an induced coma for more than a month, as doctors frantically tried to save her. 

Sharon’s family had been hopeful that she would recover, but she tragically caught another infection earlier this month and was pronounced dead on Thursday, December 9. 

Sharon, who had been a psychic medium, had lived and worked across the country, moving to Liverpool ten years ago to be closer to the coast.

But now her daughter, Kerry Read, from Bromsgrove, is fundraising in a desperate bid to see her mother’s body returned to the Midlands to be buried next to relatives.

Paying tribute to her mother, Kerry said: ‘Mum was too young to die. She was a kind-hearted, loving mother and couldn’t do enough for anyone.’

Sharon Winsper, 54, from Stechford, Birmingham died of pneumonia after a two-month battle with Covid saw her placed in an induced coma

The mother-of-ten initially thought she had contracted a bad cold, but developed breathing problems and was rushed to hospital

Sharon, a medium, had 11 grandchildren and also lived in Acocks Green, Handsworth and Edgbaston before moving to Liverpool ten years ago to be nearer the coast.

Just last month, she celebrated her 54th birthday in hospital, with her condition improving so much that family were confident they would have more years together. 

But after catching pneumonia, just weeks removed from testing positive from Covid, Sharon’s body was too weak to fight off the fresh infection. 

‘She just thought it was a bad cold at first and spent about a week in bed, but then it got to the point she was struggling to breathe,’ Kerry explained.

‘She was taken straight into intensive care in October with covid and put into a coma for over five weeks. She started to make a slow recovery and had a tracheotomy fitted to help with her breathing.

‘Day by day, she was getting stronger and even started smiling and communicating with us. 

‘She began having physio and we believed things were starting to look positive. We were cautiously hopeful for the coming weeks and months.

‘But then on December 6, she contracted another infection and pneumonia but the covid meant her body couldn’t fight it.

‘It came on so suddenly and severely. She had no fight left as this infection was quite severe and left her unable to breath by herself due to the damage in her lungs.

‘The family was called in to say our goodbyes and she passed away peacefully with us all at her bedside holding her hand.’

After catching pneumonia just weeks removed from testing positive from Covid Sharon’s body was too weak to fight off the fresh infection

Kerry said Sharon’s six daughters and four sons knew she would want her final resting place to be in the Midlands, alongside the grave of her stillborn daughter Grace.

They have launched a £4,500 fundraising appeal on Gofundme to help towards funeral costs and return Sharon’s body.

‘Although Mum worked as a psychic medium in Liverpool, making lots of new friends along the way, the family know she wanted to be laid to rest in the same cemetery as Grace,’ Kerry said.

‘She was not just our mum, but our best friend. We were always on the phone to her.

‘All this planning we have to do for the funeral, my mum would be the one person I would phone and ask her opinion on stuff like this. 

‘Then I have to remember that it’s my mum I’m planning this for, and that’s heartbreaking.’

Just last month, Sharon celebrated her 54th birthday in hospital, with her condition improving so much that family were confident they would have more years together

Balloons are set to be released in memory of Sharon on Sunday, December 19, at Hall Road Beach in Crosby. 

Amid fears Omicron was engulfing the nation, a record 78,610 people tested positive in the past 24 hours, eclipsing the previous highest count by more than 10,000 — when 68,053 were recorded on January 8 at the peak of the second wave.

Officially, only a third of today’s cases were attributed to Omicron but Government modelling predicts 400,000 people are catching the mutant virus every day, with the strain spreading faster than testing can keep up. 

Senior SAGE scientists, public health officials and NHS leaders warned today that hospitals could be overwhelmed by January if current projections are to be believed, piling pressure on No10 to hit the panic button on even tougher Covid curbs. 

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