Couple lie side-by-side and hold hands for last time before dying

By Adam Dutton via SWNS

This heartbreaking photo shows a devoted couple lying side-by-side for the last time before they both died of cancer.

Lynne Johnson, 69, had been battling an aggressive brain tumor while husband Chris, 76, was diagnosed with bowel and liver cancer.

In their final days the couple, who had barely spent a day apart in 52 years of marriage, were cared for in the same hospice room.

A poignant picture shows Lynne and Chris, who had two grown-up children, lying side-by-side so they could hold hands for the final time.

Shortly after the photo was taken at Ashgate Hospice in Chesterfield, Derbys., Lynne died on February 13 followed by Chris who passed away on February 21.

Their daughter Julie Whittaker shared the poignant image in a touching tribute to her beloved parents.

She said: “Dad was there for mum’s last breath. He was holding her hand, and he took so much comfort in that.

“When mum died it took him a few days to come to terms with it. On the Saturday he burst into tears and said: ‘Has Lynne really gone?’

“Then that was it, he didn’t eat or drink again. He was completely heartbroken that mum had died and just gave up.

“I don’t think he would have died that day if mum was still alive.

“The ultimate goal was ensuring they were together until the end, and it wouldn’t have been possible without Ashgate.”

Chris was a milkman when he met Lynne while out on his rounds and they tied the knot in June 1972.

The couple had two children, Gary and Julie, and were described as "proper soulmates" who were never apart from one another.

Julie, of Glapwell, Derbys., added: "They did everything together.

“Other than when they were at work they were never apart; they were proper soulmates.

“Even to this day, it doesn’t feel real. It’s not been long since they passed away – how have they just gone?

“It was such a whirlwind, everything happened so quickly. I’m just so grateful that Ashgate was able to keep them together.”

Chris, who later worked as a bus driver before he retired, was diagnosed with bowel and liver cancer last October.

Just three months later Lynne, a former carer, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a cancerous brain tumor.

The couple was moved into adjacent rooms in the hospice until staff fulfilled their dying wish of being together for their final days.

Julie said: “The care was just phenomenal. Not just for mum and dad but for all of us, the hospice was with us from the start and are still there for us now.

“If both couldn’t be cared for at the hospice, it would have been so heartbreaking for us choosing who we were going to be with.

“Having them together gave our family so much more time with them both.

“The hospice is such an amazing place and we were so well looked after.

“It’s all about the little things, they think of everything and will go above and beyond to help patients, families and visitors.

“Dad was able to enjoy a glass of wine, and his brother Alwyn came every day to visit with my mum and dad’s dog Tess – Alwyn and Tess were there when Dad died which was special for him.”

Julie is now calling on the government to review funding so more people can access end-of-life services

She added: “Not only do all people deserve the end-of-life care that my parents received, but when patients are in a hospice instead of a hospital it takes the strain off the NHS.

“Nothing is too much trouble for staff at the hospice; there is so much love and compassion.

“I just wish that more families could be as well looked after as we were.”

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