Mother-of-three Aimee O’Rourke was described as an “angel” who would “wear her NHS crown forever” after losing her life to coronavirus.
The 39-year-old nurse died where she worked, at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in Margate, Kent.
Her daughter, Megan Murphy, described her as an “angel”. Rourke joined the QEQM’s Acute Medical Unit as a newly qualified nurse in 2017.
Ward manager Julie Gammon said the whole team was devastated by her death. “She was such a kind and caring nurse, and she had a really special relationship with her patients and colleagues,” she said.
“Nursing was something she had always wanted to do, although she came to it relatively late after raising her girls. She took some time out to care for her mum after she was diagnosed with cancer and she was determined to return and to make her mum proud.”
When Ms Rourke first arrived at the hospital with Covid-19 symptoms, she asked for her boss.
Ms Gammon added: “It was an honour to be able to be with her and to provide some comfort and I am so glad that I was able to do so.”
Ms Rourke’s daughter, Megan Murphy, wrote on Facebook: “Look at all the lives you looked after and all the families you comforted when patients passed away.
“You are an angel and you will wear your NHS crown forevermore.
“I could go on all day long and have so many things to say but I have to be strong!! Night night mummy.”
The Telegraph