Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Danya Bazaraa

Last photo of teen banned from seeing family before dying on day Boris Johnson partied

A family have shared the final photo of their teenage daughter who died on the same day as Boris Johnson partied in Downing Street.

Blood cancer patient Ruby Fuller, 18, spent her dying days separated from friends and relatives because she was determined "to do the right thing" and obey Covid rules.

She spent her last cherished moments with her parents and younger sister as they tried to give her "the best possible end of life".

A week before Ruby’s tragic death, her parents took their last ever photo of her - pictured in a hot tub with her dad outside the family home.

Loved ones were barred from joining them and she had to say her goodbyes on Zoom.

The teenager died on May 15 - the same day the Prime Minister was pictured in a Downing Street garden having cheese and wine with his wife and colleagues.

Ruby was determined to stick to the lockdown rules until the very end (Emma Jones)
Ruby spent her final weeks with her parents Emma and Dylan and her younger sister Tabitha (Emma Jones)

Speaking to The Mirror after the PM was fined £50 for attending another rule-breaking birthday gathering, Ruby's devastated mum Emma Jones said her daughter would have been "mad" at the Prime Minister's behaviour.

Emma, 52, an environmental consultant, said: "While Boris and Rishi partied, we tried to give Ruby the best possible end of life.

"A hot tub and a blow up flamingo were all we could manage. No friends, grandparents or cousins. Not even for 10 minutes. She had to say goodbye on Zoom. We deserve better."

Ruby was 17 years old when she was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoblastic non-Hodgkins lymphoma, which developed into leukaemia.

"Until three weeks before Ruby died, we thought she was going to get better," Emma said.

Ruby, pictured at a past protest, would have been 'mad' that Boris Johnson broke the rules, her mum says (Emma Jones)

Ruby spent her final weeks with her parents Emma and Dylan and her younger sister Tabitha, now 15, in a bubble at their home in Crystal Palace, south London

They played board games, watched films, got ice cream delivery, a friend lent them a hot tub and Ruby's godmother sent them a blow-up flamingo - and they managed to create some special memories.

"Ruby would be on Zoom calls with her friends and family," Emma said. "We had a Zoom quiz with my family the day before Ruby died."

Speaking about lockdown, Emma said: "It was just the four of us. It was really hard - and it was really hard afterwards.

"It's such a devastating thing to watch your child die, then you're left with just each other, crippled by grief, and you can't even open your doors and let people pour in with their love.

Her mum Emma has spoken out because she says her daughter would be mad at the PM's behaviour (Emma Jones)
Ruby was determined to stick to the rules (Emma Jones)

"It was always going to be the most desperately sad and hard time but the rules made it harder.

"But at the time we didn't begrudge that. We were living in a pandemic and we were doing what everybody had to do - there were no exceptions.

"So when it came to light that the people making the rules were not in it with us, it became very insulting.

"It's not even rules - it's the law. He [ Boris Johnson ] has demonstrated that he has no moral compass.

"It's so frustrating that we didn't seem to have a choice."

Emma said Ruby would have loved to have had her friends, grandparents and cousins with her at the end - but she refused to put anyone at risk.

Ruby spent a lot of time on Zoom calls with friends and family (Emma Jones)

"We did talk about whether we would ask them to come even though it was against the rules, but she felt like she didn't want to put other people at risk," Emma said.

"She had always followed the rules and felt very strongly about doing the right thing."

The family tragically still couldn't have a proper funeral after Ruby passed away.

They put a bench in their garden where people could come - one at a time - and write memories and share photos while Emma and the family spoke to them from an upstairs window.

Ruby was 17 years old when she was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoblastic non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2019, which developed into leukaemia (Emma Jones)

Despite everything that's happened, Emma says she is still glad they stuck to the rules because if someone had caught Covid from visiting them "that would have made something so sad so much worse."

"When you're looking after someone at their end of life, what they want is paramount," Emma said.

"I don't regret what we did at all. People would have been put at risk. I just regret that we didn't have a leader who can lead by example.

"Ruby would be so mad about Boris Johnson's behaviour so I'm doing it [speaking out] for her.

Ruby asked to be remembered by the motto 'live kindly, live loudly,' her mum says (Emma Jones)

"She would want people to know about the sacrifices she, her family and friends made and how utterly insulting the Prime Minister's behaviour is."

Ruby asked to be remembered by the motto 'live kindly, live loudly,' her mum says.

The family are trying to raise half a million pounds to fund research into T-cell blood cancers.

Ruby's 'Live Kindly, Live Loudly' Fund is a Special Named Fund at CCLG raising money for research into T-cell lymphoma and leukaemia in memory of 18-year-old Ruby Fuller. To donate, click here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.