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COVID TRAGEDY

Seven months pregnant mum wakes up from coronavirus coma to be told her unborn child had died

A SEVEN months pregnant mum woke up from a coronavirus coma to be told her unborn child had died.

Marzanne Lennox, 29, was 30-weeks gone when she was rushed to hospital in South Africa and immediately put on a ventilator from June 30.

Marzanne Lennox, 29, was 30-weeks gone when she was rushed to hospital in South Africa
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Marzanne Lennox, 29, was 30-weeks gone when she was rushed to hospital in South Africa
Family received news of her baby's death on July 3 but she only heard on Tuesday
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Family received news of her baby's death on July 3 but she only heard on Tuesday
She and husband Thomas, 30, were going to call the baby Jensen
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She and husband Thomas, 30, were going to call the baby Jensen

She was on the ventilator for two weeks at Life Wilgers Hospital, was too weak for an emergency cesarian and her oxygen levels were dangerously low.

Her family, who were banned from seeing her due to coronavirus restrictions, were told her unborn died soon she after being put on the ventilator.

But fashion designer Mrs Lennox was only told the devastating news on Tuesday when she was strong enough.

Her father Skip Scheepers said: "The baby didn't make it - he is with Jesus.

"The pain just won't go away - we now have to start organising a funeral."

Doctors performed a Caesarean section on Mrs Lennox to remove the baby.

Her father added: "They told her they were going to remove the baby moments before the operation. She was very emotional."

They were going to call their first baby Jensen, who they described as a "miracle baby" because the pair had previously struggled to get pregnant.

Thomas went into the hospital on Tuesday to speak with doctors but was still not allowed to see her.

Mrs Lennox's severe symptoms only started off as feeling nauseous, a blocked nose and sore throat so the doctor prescribed her antibiotics.

Her mother Ina said: “Marzanne is a fighter, she's strong-willed and doesn't like injustice.

"On the Sunday we saw things weren't going well but she never complained. She's never been a sickly person, not even as a child.

"By Monday we took her to another doctor because things started going downhill from there, she was struggling for her life.”

South Africa has the most confirmed coronavirus cases in Africa with over 224,000.

Gauteng province - home to Pretoria where the hospital is - has the country's most cases with over 75,000, or 33 per cent. 

Provincial official Bandile Masuku, a medical doctor, last week told reporters that Gauteng is preparing over 1.5 million graves.

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