A GRIEVING mum has revealed the heartbreaking impact “missing out on precious time” with her son before he died had on her family.

Penny Bibby, 55, from Benfleet, is now preparing to speak in Parliament about the impact the pandemic had on the family’s ability to visit Ollie in hospital.

Ollie was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, a cancer of the white blood cells, in 2016.

He entered remission for four years before relapsing in July last year.

Ollie died at the University College London Hospital on May 5.

Mrs Bibby said: “When we look back at the last month and the battles we had to get back in the door to see him. We feel like we’ve had time stolen from us.

“He rang us up really upset one night because he wasn’t well. I was allowed in for five minutes but his dad was escorted out by security.

“We felt like criminals wanting to see our own son.

“His brothers saw him once in eight weeks and that was two days before he died.

“I think they should have done visiting on an individual basis and done what was best for each patient.

“When he relapsed he had some really important decisions to make about his transplant. He would come out of the meetings and wouldn’t know what they said.

“If we had been there we would have asked the right questions. We couldn’t even have a phone call.”

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Ollie’s girlfriend, Georgia Childs, 27, has also been left “heartbroken she couldn’t spend more time with Ollie in his final weeks.”

Mrs Bibby said that despite the family’s devastation, “the NHS gave us an extra five years and we’re so grateful.”

She added: “We have always praised the NHS and we have praise for the staff in there but this situation added to Ollie’s stress and our stress.”

A spokesperson for UCLH said: “We would like to offer Penny and her family our sincere condolences.

“We are confident that Ollie received appropriate care and treatment and that regular visits were allowed in line with hospital guidance. We understand that having limits on visitors can be difficult, but these are necessary to protect patients from Covid-19, particularly the most vulnerable.

“We are aware of the issues Penny has raised and we are in touch with her so we can learn from her family’s experience.”