Coronavirus: Husband pays tribute to ‘amazing’ mother of quadruplets

The husband of a mother of five who died after contracting coronavirus has told Sky News of his “huge loss” after his “amazing” wife was buried in Pakistan.

Shabnum Sadiq, who lived with her family in Slough, Berkshire, passed away after suffering “complications” from COVID-19 on 6 April.

Her five children included 13-year-old quadruplets.

The Labour councillor, who caught the virus in Pakistan, had travelled to the country to attend a relative’s wedding with her husband Khizwan Sadiq.

Mr Sadiq said just hours after the 39-year-old’s funeral on Wednesday: “She was an amazing wife. She was an amazing mother.

“I was married to her for 23 years. All my life she’s looked after everything in the house. Basically I’m like the sixth child in the house, and it’s a huge loss for me.

“The kids will recover from this but this is hard for me. I’m lost. I am so lost. I don’t know what’s going to happen to me.”

Mr Sadiq had also contracted coronavirus but recovered after self-isolating for 14 days.

Speaking about the illness, he continued: “To be honest with you, it’s really dangerous. People should care about themselves, we were the unlucky ones in this.

“People have to be very careful – it’s not a joke.”

Mrs Sadiq’s brother Kamran Sheraz, who lives in Ilford, east London, has said he “still can’t believe it” after her death.

He tearfully told Sky News: “She was on a ventilator for nearly 24 days and every day we were getting results back with blood tests etc.

“Everything was working fine, so we were very hopeful and then all of a sudden on Monday, I got the phone call I think at about 2pm that she’d passed away.

“I couldn’t believe it, I still can’t believe it.

“It’s sad that I can’t go and say my goodbyes to her, just to be near her somehow. I won’t ever see her again.”

He added: “She had breathing difficulties and that’s when I realised things were getting serious, because of COVID-19.

“It’s no joke, it’s definitely serious and its pulling families apart.”

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Mrs Sadiq suffered a cardiac arrest in hospital after she tested positive for coronavirus.

Reflecting on the children and husband she has left behind, her brother continued: “The family is always going to be there for them.

“But obviously your mum’s your mum. That’s something that nobody can replace.”

Mrs Sadiq had been a Labour councillor in Slough for four years.

The council’s deputy leader Sabia Akram told Sky News: “What Shabnum did really well was show a really softer side to politics.

“To show a kinder side of politics, and in recent times there’s been a lot of media hype around what that looks like.

“I think she was the epitome of that.”

A Slough Council spokesman has said on Tuesday it was flying flags at half-mast at its offices in tribute to Mrs Sadiq.

(c) Sky News 2020: Coronavirus: Husband pays tribute to ‘amazing’ mother of quadruplets