Even though they were never able to marry, an Ipswich couple of 10 years truly understood the meaning of the vow ‘in sickness and in health, until death us do part’. 

Daniel Ridlington was 46 years old when he passed away on August 21, having battled Long Covid for more than three years. 

Daniel, who was known as Dan, had spent the final years of his life in Ipswich, having moved to the town to live with his fiancée, Sharon Noble-Ridlington. 

The couple met online ten years ago, quite by chance, at a time when neither of them were looking for love.  

“We got talking, and within two weeks we had met, and become inseparable,” said Sharon. The couple decided to remain long distance, having three children between them from previous relationships. 

They spent the next six years taking it in turns to visit each other every two weeks, he driving to Ipswich and she to Enfield. 

Ipswich Star: Dan and Sharon were together for 10 years, and hoped to marry next July. Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington Dan and Sharon were together for 10 years, and hoped to marry next July. Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington (Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington)Ipswich Star: Dan was known for his dry sense of humour, and would often amuse his colleagues and patients. Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington Dan was known for his dry sense of humour, and would often amuse his colleagues and patients. Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington (Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington)Ipswich Star: Dan pictured with Sharon's daughter, Emma. Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington Dan pictured with Sharon's daughter, Emma. Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington (Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington)

Dan worked as a senior mental health nurse for the Barnet Enfield & Haringey NHS Trust for many years.

A softly spoken man, he was known for his gentle nature, and was respected and popular amongst his patients and colleagues alike.  

However, he also had a wicked sense of humour. 

“He loved Halloween, because he loved the crazy masks,” remembered Sharon. “He’d come into work with different masks on, like the clown from IT.  

“He’d be walking around the ward acting completely normal, or making a cup of coffee in the staff room as though nothing was amiss.”

Dan loved being able to make his patients laugh, especially at a time in their lives when so many of them needed to smile. 

In March 2020, the pandemic hit.  

“Dan always said, ‘Being a nurse or a doctor is like signing up to the army. You never know when you’re going to go to war,’” said Sharon.

Like so many of his colleagues, Dan rolled up his sleeves and prepared to face the uncertainties the virus brought. 

Ipswich Star: Dan laughing with colleagues in Enfield. Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington Dan laughing with colleagues in Enfield. Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington (Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington)

Ipswich Star: Dan pictured on the day he is believed to have caught Covid. Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington Dan pictured on the day he is believed to have caught Covid. Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington (Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington)

On March 26, Dan had to go home as his temperature was rising rapidly. 

“He knew he was going to get it because of his job,” said Sharon. “He just thought, it will be rough, but it will pass.”  

However, within a week Dan’s breathing had become so laboured that he had to call an ambulance. He was taken to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, before being transferred to the Royal Papworth in Cambridge.  

Dan was put in an induced coma for five weeks, with doctors unable to tell Sharon if he would survive.

When he awoke, Dan found that he had lost all feeling and movement in his left foot; his eyesight was deteriorating, his diaphragm was severely damaged, and his lungs were scarred beyond repair. 

Dan was transferred to Ipswich Hospital to be near Sharon. She and her daughter would visit him, waving through the window to his ground floor ward. 

Ipswich Star: Dan pictured in hospital, at the height of the pandemic. Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington Dan pictured in hospital, at the height of the pandemic. Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington (Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington)Ipswich Star: Dan tried to stay positive, even during his time in hospital. Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington Dan tried to stay positive, even during his time in hospital. Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington (Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington)Ipswich Star: Dan and Sharon were hoping to marry next July. Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington Dan and Sharon were hoping to marry next July. Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington (Image: Sharon Noble-Ridlington)

When Dan was discharged from Ipswich Hospital, they decided to sell his flat in Enfield, and he came to live with Sharon in Ipswich.

He walked with great difficulty, having had to learn to walk again, and required oxygen to breathe.

He hoped to have physiotherapy, but as there was still little understanding of Long Covid at the time, he was not able to find a physiotherapist. 

However, the couple were still hopeful of building a future together. Dan was again hospitalised shortly before Christmas, after a further infection in his foot turned to sepsis and pneumonia. 

Despite this, Sharon said that Dan had been doing well for the past few months. They had joined a gym together to help build up Dan’s strength, and just three months ago they booked the Registry Office in Stowmarket, planning to tie the knot next July.  

Sadly, this was not to be. Dan died in his sleep with Sharon by his side on August 21. 

“I’m glad it was beside me, and that it was peaceful,” said Sharon. “Unlike through Covid, I was able to be with him.” 

She is sharing their story now, to raise awareness of the ongoing effects of Covid, and the need for those still suffering its effects to have access to the treatment they need. 

“It’s almost like we’re not allowed to talk about it anymore,” she said. “But this was a war for us.”