“The staff in ICU treated my brother as though he was a member of their own family. We will never forget their kindness and compassion.”

A fundraising celebration of the life of  a much-loved son, brother, father and uncle, has raised more than £3,000 for Walsall Manor Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.

The event was held in memory of Wolves fan Jason Perry who died last March, aged 46, after contracting COVID-19.

His brother Garry is Associate Director – Patient Relations & Experience with Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust and said his family wanted to say thank you to everyone on the unit who had supported them through an unimaginably distressing time.

Garry said: “”Jason was the life and soul of the party with a fantastic sense of humour and a generous spirit.

“My parents, three sisters and I, along with Jason’s wife Dawn and two sons, have seen first-hand the devastating effects of COVID-19 – both physically whilst Jason was fighting for his life and emotionally following his death and it has been heart breaking. But we were treated outstandingly by staff in our ICU which actually comforted us at the worst time in our lives.”

Garry’s family was able to visit Jason as he received end of life care and said “little touches” made all the difference.

“They ensured he was able to wear his beloved Wolves scarf for example and created the best environment possible for his passing. The staff treated my brother as though he was a member of their own family. We will never forget their kindness and compassion and appreciate all they did for him They were exhausted and drained themselves having to support so many others throughout the pandemic yet they never wavered.”

As the family hadn’t been able to hold a wake for Jason due to the pandemic restrictions at that time they held a fundraising celebration party last October at Pelsall Community Centre.

“We felt this was a fitting send off for Jason and it naturally had a strong Wolves theme!” said Garry. “We held a massive raffle and a local dentist in the village match funded the amount we raised so we ended up with a grand total of £3,200 which we want staff to use on ICU by way of our gratitude for everything they did for us.

“We miss Jason so much but think he would have approved of the celebration we held for him. Again, we can only thank ICU staff from the bottom of our hearts for everything they’ve done for all of us  who lost loved ones during the pandemic.”