‘The system fell short:’ GoFundMe set up in honour of health care worker who died of COVID

A GoFundMe has raised nearly $90,000 as of Wednesday afternoon for the family of a Battlefords-area health care worker who died of COVID.

Don K. Paul, who spoke to battlefordsNOW Wednesday, said 34-year-old Tom Thomas had been isolating at home with COVID-19 before feeling pain on Monday.

Those within the St. Mother Teresa Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, a small informal group in the Battlefords, started the GoFundMe page to support Thomas’ family and funeral costs.

“People were very kind … I’m glad we were able to do this for his family,” said Paul.

“(The family has) no life insurance … And he has little benefits from the health region.”

650 CKOM reached out to the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), who said out of respect for the family and patient confidentiality, they were unable to provide any additional details.

“The Saskatchewan Health Authority offers its condolences to the family, friends, and co-workers of a staff member who died Monday in North Battleford,” an emailed statement attributed to both Andrew McLetchie, Vice-President Integrated Northern Health and Dr. Stephanie Young, Physician Executive Integrated Northern Health states.

“The SHA is reaching out to our staff member’s family to offer support. We are also ensuring co-workers and other staff members are aware of mental health supports available through the Saskatchewan Health Authority and our Employee Family Assistance Program.”

In the GoFundMe description, organizers said Thomas died of a sudden cardiac arrest.

“He was a father, a husband and a son who lost his battle to COVID. With no family support here, he leaves behind his 18-month-old child and wife. He is from Ponkunnam, Kerala, India. He was very active and supportive in the community activities and church choir,” the GoFundMe states.

“Being a nurse back home, his passion to care for people brought him to North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada 4 years ago … His wife Merin George with same passion works in a long term care in town. As Healthcare workers, him and his wife dedicated their lives for caring for others but when it came to be taken care of, the system fell short.”

The GoFundMe continues to say his wife’s maternity leave left Thomas as the lone person working in the family.

In an update posted Wednesday to the GoFundMe, Thomas’ body has been transported to Saskatoon for further investigation, including an autopsy and forensics.

The SHA would not confirm if the death was the first due to COVID-19 involving a health care worker in Saskatchewan.

— With files from battlefordsNOW’s Josh Ryan