'My wife went blind after pregnancy, her last six months alive were hell'

'My wife went blind after pregnancy, her last six months alive were hell' Young widower Michael Gavin has shared the heartache he endured after watching his beloved wife Christina Gavin deteriorate before his eyes, with a family tragedy leading to a serious health decline A young widower has opened up about the "living hell" his late wife had to endure in the final moments of her life. In 2009, Christina Gavin was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, for which she was prescribed insulin. While Christina had been managing her condition, her health sadly took a devastating turn in 2012, following the stillbirth of their daughter, Angelica. While Christina underwent five operations to fix her eyesight, by 2014, she was registered blind, with a detached retina in her right eye caused by diabetes. Five years later, Christina had to have her right leg amputated above the knee after a foot ulcer went septic. Remembering all that Christina endured, Michael Gavin, from Dagenham, east London, said: "Everything went wrong. The things she went through, you couldn’t make it up. “The blood stopped flowing to her right hand, and her index finger went really black. She was delirious and screaming. It was terrifying for me. She couldn't even move that well at that point, and she struggled with everything. “I asked doctors to look at her finger because it was black, smelly, and the fingernail had fallen off. I thought it needed to be amputated like her leg. It was such a battle. People don’t realise that diabetes is a silent killer.” Sadly, Christina's condition deteriorated. In 2023, after suffering back pain, weakness and fatigue, the housewife was diagnosed with stage five kidney failure, with Michael becoming her full-time carer. Former construction worker Michael recalled: “Christina had to have dialysis three times a day. Because of the dialysis, she had to have a fistula, and it went wrong. The blood flow wasn’t working properly. Her hand was stone cold, in a claw, and her blood sugar got really low, so they had to reverse it." Shortly before Christmas 2025, Christina had two cardiac arrests, after which she was placed into an induced coma for two weeks. During this time, the affected finger was amputated. Michael, 46, said: “When she woke up, she was so confused and she didn't recognise me. It was so distressing. I was so angry, wishing something had been done sooner. I don’t know why it took them so long; it had to be an emergency before we were taken seriously.” While signs of improvement were noted, this relief was sadly short-lived, and the open wound on Christina's hand began bleeding after she knocked it. This led to another finger being amputated. In the weeks before she died, Christina's dialysis PICC line started "gushing out blood". She was rushed to the hospital, where it was found she had a chest infection, with fluid found in her lungs. It was then that Michael received the terrible news. Michael remembered: “The last six months of her life were hell. It makes me angry and upset for her. The hospital called and said she was unresponsive, so I got there as fast as I could. “She had an oxygen mask on and was trying to breathe. It was so out of the blue because I’d been talking to her the day before. I went to get a bottle of water, and when I got back, they said she was gone. “I sat with her, played her some music and talked to her. Her sister and dad nearly collapsed when I told them, and our sons broke down. It was an awful conversation – but I did it for my wife. I'd do anything for my wife.” As well as Michael, mum Christina also left behind sons Tommy, 21 and Mikey, 17. Left to survive on Universal Credit, Michael appealed for donations to help cover the cost of Christina's funeral, which took place on Wednesday, May 27. On his GoFundMe fundraising page, which has raised more than £2,500 at the time of writing, Michael spoke of his heartbreaking hope to bury Christina in the same local cemetery as baby Angelica. He continued: “I want people to know how lovely, strong and kind my wife was. I don’t want her to be forgotten. When I talked to her, it felt like talking to a mate. “I used to call us sweet and sour, [because] she was sweet and saw the good in people I was sour and saw the bad in people. I know she's not here [now] but I think she is. It's definitely boring without her. I never wanted her to go anywhere.” Do you have a story to share? Email me at [email protected]