This will be Derek Draper’s legacy. The former Labor doctor, who died aged 56 in January after almost four years fighting the ravages of Covid, has one more cause to champion.
His widow, ITV presenter Kate Garraway, is broadcasting heartbreaking footage of his final months to expose the lack of funding for families left caring for seriously ill loved ones at home. For the first time since Covid left him in a four-month coma, from which he slowly emerged, we heard his voice on his camera.
Kate reveals tonight on Derek’s Story on ITV that she is deep in debt after having to pay up to £4,000 a week for her husband’s 24-hour-a-day care. Additional physical therapy and other treatments, such as a hyperbaric oxygen tent, cost him even more.
‘How can I afford that?’ she demands. ‘How can anyone afford £16,000 a month? Derek’s care costs more than my salary. And that’s before paying a mortgage, before paying household bills, before paying for anything for the kids.
‘I am in debt and cannot earn enough money to cover my debt because I am responsible for Derek’s care. “And I can’t even use the money I have to support Derek’s recovery because all the time goes to the basics.”
This will be Derek Draper’s legacy. The former Labor doctor, who died aged 56 in January after almost four years battling the ravages of Covid, has one more cause to champion (pictured: Draper in ITV’s Derek’s Story)
His widow, ITV presenter Kate Garraway (pictured, in ITV’s Derek’s Story), is broadcasting heartbreaking footage of his final months to expose the lack of funding for families left caring for seriously ill loved ones at home .
Kate reveals on Derek’s Story on ITV (pictured) tonight that she is deep in debt after having to pay up to £4,000 a week for her husband’s 24-hour-a-day care.
For the first time since Covid left him in a four-month coma, from which he slowly emerged, we heard his voice on camera
Despite his debilitating illness, which left him incontinent, unable to walk and barely able to speak, Derek was not eligible for fully funded welfare assistance at home.
Although Derek was one of the most high-profile victims of long Covid, the hidden problem is much broader than most people imagine.
She acknowledges that her situation, bleak as it was then, was less difficult than it is for many. ‘I’m not going to pretend that I’m underpaid. I have an amazing job that I love and that pays well, but it’s not enough.’
Despite his debilitating illness, which left him incontinent, unable to walk and barely able to speak, Derek was not eligible for fully funded welfare assistance at home. Leaving hospital, Kate says, was like falling off a cliff – free-falling from NHS care.
He is now leading a campaign to highlight the problem. “We need to get the public to understand how crucial and transformative social care can be,” she says. “We rely entirely on extraordinary caregivers, but the system they work in is incredibly complicated, incredibly insufficient, and tries to meet an impossible need.”
Although Derek was one of the most high-profile victims of long Covid, the hidden problem is much broader than most people imagine. Liz Kendall MP, Derek’s former colleague at the Labor seat of Millbank, tells Kate that one in five women aged 50 is an unpaid carer and most of them look after elderly relatives.
“There is currently no national budget for healthcare,” says Ms Kendall, “and the amount spent is based on individual local authorities, so it’s a classic postcode lottery to see if you get any help.” .
If Kate, with her formidable influence at ITV, can lobby to help the million people in Britain who are cared for at home, something really good could come of it. Now that the pandemic is over and Derek has sadly died, it’s a practical way for her to move forward and find purpose in everything her family has endured, without making it seem like she’s taking advantage of the misery.
The film strikes a balance between remaining optimistic even in Derek’s worst moments and revealing how miserably depressed he often felt.
One sequence, in which he tries and fails to stand up before berating himself and shouting the word “pathetic,” is especially difficult to watch.
Kate acknowledges that her situation, bleak as it was then, was less difficult than it is for many.
Now that the pandemic is over and Derek (pictured, with Kate and their children Darcey and Billy) has sadly died, it’s a practical way for her to move on and find purpose in everything her family has endured, without It seems like you are taking advantage of the misery.
Derek (pictured, with his son Billy) could scribble sentences in a notebook and speak, albeit with difficulty.
The speed of his responses to questions, although they were usually just a simple “yes” or “no”, showed that in some ways his mind was working as fast as ever: a mixed blessing, as his disability will have been even more frustrating. (pictured: Derek and Kate in 2019)
In his final months, he often didn’t want his friends to visit him because he hated what he had become. That’s understandable, but it must have made caring for him doubly difficult.
He could scribble sentences on a pad and speak, although with difficulty. The speed of his answers to questions, although they were usually a simple “yes” or “no”, showed that in some ways his mind was working as fast as ever: a mixed blessing, because his disability will have been even more frustrating.
Through it all, Kate nurtured a fragile optimism, celebrating what she calls “fresh moments of positivity.” She talks about how difficult it is to move on when the person you love cannot return your love in any conventional way.
“Sometimes,” she says ruefully, “you show love with a big bouquet of flowers, and other times by bringing a cup of tea at the right time, and he can’t do either of those things.”
When the little things go, only the big things remain… and Kate Garraway has the opportunity to do something big in memory of her husband.