The UK's youngest coronavirus victim was tonight named as 45-year-old Craig Ruston – as his devastated wife paid an emotional tribute.
The father-of-two, from Kettering, Northamptonshire, succumbed to the killer bug in hospital on Tuesday.
Mr Ruston had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2018.
His wife Sally broke news of the death on Mr Ruston's Facebook page Me and my MND.
She said: "My amazing Craig passed away yesterday morning at 6.20am. We are truly heartbroken.
"Last Tuesday he was taken unwell and we have since spent the last 6 days in isolation. Craig's chest infection was confirmed as COVID-19.
"How dare that take Craig who was already facing this (MND), the most vile and evil of diseases."
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Mrs Ruston paid tribute to her husband who was given two years to live when he was diagnosed in June 2018 but "was pushing that back".
She said: "There were no airs and graces with Craig. He loved the world. He absorbed the world.
"He was one of the most intelligent people I know that would absorb information and could somehow explain just about anything."
Mrs Ruston revealed that her husband's dying wish was to donate his brain to scientific research in a bid to tackle motor neurone disease.
She suggested that could now not happen because of the virus.
Craig, who was a footwear designer who used to work for Dr Martens, Hunter Boots and Fred Perry, started the blog after he was diagnosed.
The post said: "Craig was not ready to go. Still doing everything in his power to raise awareness and fight the fight for MND."
A post by the Facebook blog 'Mummy with MND' added: "This is my good friend Craig, with his family.
"Yes, he had MND but he had a lot of time left with his girls, possibly years. Covid-19 took him yesterday. A family has been devastated.
"Craig adored his wife, Sally.
"His girls were his world and his thoughts were only ever about what his illness would do to them.
"What Craig didn't deserve was for his already limited future to have been taken so suddenly by Covid.
"The 'vulnerable' are people like me and Craig. Parents of young children. Get your heads out of the sand. Start acting in our interests too."
Kettering General Hospital confirmed that a patient who had tested positive for coronavirus had died on Tuesday.
It is the first confirmed death in Northamptonshire.
KGH medical director Professor Andrew Chilton said: "Sadly we can confirm that a man who was being cared for at Kettering General Hospital, and had tested positive for COVID-19 has died.
"The patient who died on March 16 had underlying health conditions.
"His family has been informed and our thoughts and condolences are with them at this difficult and distressing time."
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