'A year of no school or a life without dad?': Shrewsbury mum to home-school kids to protect husband with MS
A Shrewsbury mother says she won’t be sending her children to school because if they bring home coronavirus, their father will “likely die”.
Amy Wolfs’ husband David has multiple sclerosis, and his immune system is so low that if she or her children Evie, five, or Mason, two, catch a sickness bug, David has to be away from them for 48 hours.
It means Evie’s school place has had to be given up or Amy and David would face hefty fines and potential court action.
Now, as families prepare to send their youngsters back to school, Amy believes parents should be given the choice about whether their children attend.
She said: “We have to be very careful with him. Even if one of the kids comes down with a common cold we have to hide him away for 48 hours.
“If he caught the coronavirus, he would likely die. It would be unlikely that he would be offered a ventilator because of the damage to his lungs that’s already there and that his condition is deteriorating. If he were to catch it, he probably wouldn’t survive.”
She added: “The current approach is a one size fits all. There isn’t anything in place for families like ours who have different circumstances.
"I understand you can’t tailor it for everyone, but I think it should be the parents’ decision whether they send their child or not.
“If Evie went to school, she’s only five so it would take her time to adapt to the new rules. For some families, sending kids back to school is the best thing.
"But for others with members of the family who have medical conditions, it isn’t going to work.
“At the moment, it’s a choice between giving up a school place or keeping the place and paying loads of fines and go to court.
“Both parents get fined, and if you don’t pay straight away it goes up, and if you can’t afford to pay it results in court action.
"I don’t think it would go that far for us, given the situation, but it’s frustrating that there isn’t a more flexible approach.
“People may say it’s detrimental for her to miss school.
"But what’s going to be worse for her, a year without school or a lifetime without a dad? We’ve had to take this decision.”
David was diagnosed with the condition in January 2016, and the family have had to be careful about going out and about during the pandemic.
