“Hannah was a nice child” – COVID victim, Hannah Jackson’s family

“Hannah was a nice child, Hannah was a very nice child,” Isaline Jackson kept repeating as she tearfully grieved the loss of her daughter.

Hanna Nicole Jackson was a Staff Registered Nurse at the Medway National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust in England who died from COVID-19 last Sunday morning.

News of her passing came as a shock to her family and friends in her native village of Castle Bruce who remember “nurse Hannah” as a very loving , caring, kind and gentle person.

Hannel Jackson, Hannah’s sister, says her deceased sibling was a second mother to her children.

“She went away to make life better for herself and her family; family came first to her,” Hannel told Dominica News Online (DNO) with tears rolling down her face. She remembers her sister as a very loving and caring person who was loved by everyone both here and in England.

“She lived for nursing and she cared,” said the grief-stricken Hannel.

Hannah Nicole Jackson was born 40 years ago in Castle Bruce to Eddison and Isaline Jackson.  She studied Pre- Nursing , General Nursing and Midwifery at the Dominica State College and went on to obtain a dual degree in the Science of Nursing (BSN/MSN) at the University of the West Indies. Nurse Jackson worked at the Princess Margaret Hospital as a Staff Nurse and Registered Midwife and in 2019, she migrated to England where she continued to practise her profession at Medway NHS Foundation Trust.

Stan Mason, a registered nurse living in St. Croix and native of Castle Bruce, in his tribute to Jackson on Facebook wrote, “Hannah N Jackson RN MSN CNM . You carried many titles, you enjoyed what you did and you did it well. Nurse Jackson, a great leader and preceptor to new nurses. Yes, you saw and transitioned so many newborns into this world. Your time here on earth was short but you have accomplished so much. Up to the end you were helping the sick, suffering and the dying. Now you are gone to be with your Maker. What a great Loss!” – a sentiment shared by many who knew her.

Hannah Jackson died on the 22^nd of November just 9 days after being tested positive for the Corona Virus. Her family takes comfort in the belief that their daughter is in a better place. According to them, one of her last conversations with them centered around her commitment to God.

“She doh (don’t) want to miss out on Christ return. She say she was in a purging stage and she was about she and God,” Hannel told DNO.

The Family of Nurse Hannah Nicole Jackson thanks everyone who is standing with them in their time of grief, including management and staff of the National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust in England, management and staff of Princess Margaret Hospital, the community of Castle Bruce, members of the Castle Bruce Pentecostal Church, and family and friends in Dominica and abroad.