Kate Garraway and her husband

GrannyGravy13

flaxwoven if by milking it for all its worth you mean keeping Covid, long Covid and it’s many components in the public domain I say well done Kate.

She has a home to keep (mortgage and all the associated bills) childcare, round the clock care for Derek, so if she makes some money from her book I say well done Kate.

GG13 I totally agree Derek has lost his ability to earn the living he was earning before he took ill and Kate G has to manage all the finances and look after their children's future she is doing what is best for her family.

GrannyGravy13

flaxwoven if by milking it for all its worth you mean keeping Covid, long Covid and it’s many components in the public domain I say well done Kate.

She has a home to keep (mortgage and all the associated bills) childcare, round the clock care for Derek, so if she makes some money from her book I say well done Kate.

I agree GrannyGravy and I'm sure she is aware of how her husband feels about the book. The Schumachers are not in any sort of financial need although of course that does not change what they have suffered.
I think Kate G has and is doing the best she can for her husband and family.

I'm sure your family know that about you?
There are people who find it helpful to blog about their cancer, from beginning to the very end.
There are plenty on youtube doing exactly that.

Zoejory

*Look, he's devastated by COVID. He can't really move, his communication is very minimal.*

This was Kate's comment at the end of May.

Apparently he sleeps 20 hours a day. I doubt he's going to get anywhere near back to a normal life.

It is a living nightmare for them all and if it helps Kate to talk about, that's fine by me.

I think her talking about how it affects her and the children is one thing, filming him is different as if he hasn't agreed to it then it is a terrible invasion of his privacy. If she tells us he sleeps 20 hours a day and has communication problems isn't that enough, do we need to witness it? It seems very voyeuristic to me and I felt uncomfortable about watching it. I wouldn't watch another documentary about him but I think her talking about how she's coping and brief details of how he is is fine. I'm a very private person so I am looking at it from what I'd want.

She seems a lovely woman but she is very extrovert, he seems a quieter personality so might feel differently to her. I'd be horrified at the thought of people filming me if I was in his condition.

I think we all know our loved ones well enough to think about whether they are ok with us revealing things about them, even on here.
I'm very mindful of what my daughter would have been happy with, much as I long to post her photo, just so everyone could see how beautiful she was.
I will never go into details about certain things, because i know.

Look, he's devastated by COVID. He can't really move, his communication is very minimal.

This was Kate's comment at the end of May.

Apparently he sleeps 20 hours a day. I doubt he's going to get anywhere near back to a normal life.

It is a living nightmare for them all and if it helps Kate to talk about, that's fine by me.

I don't follow the family much, apart from in passing, if something is shown on tv and it happens to be on.

The last time I saw was Kate talking about him, and she seemed to infer that very occasionally he was "with it" a bit more.
I don't know if that is perhaps what she wants to see, though?
He still requires an enormous amount of care, but that doesnt mean he can't communicate.

People can be supported to make their wishes known even if they lack mental capcity. I'm pretty sure itv operates within an ethical framework where this kind of thing is concerned.

You must have seen something I haven't as he didn't seem able to communicate much from what I saw. I think communicating pain seemed to be the main thing. Was he able to express himself from what you saw?

I think he is well enough at times, for brief periods, to make his wishes known.

Unfortunately Derek can't operate all the off switches and his privacy is being ignored. Maybe he is well enough to consent but from what I've seen that doesn't seem certain.

Apologies BlueBelle, Michael Schuhmacher's wife. I'm currently watching F1 from Italy and his accident came to mind.

From a purely pragmatic point of view she has presumably lost a proportion of her income but still has bills to pay. Whilst basic care is provided she probably has additional expenses or just extras that make all their lives more comfortable. Good for her! If all else fails TVs have an off switch!

JaneJudge

Josianne, you highlight what I mentioned. Society expects carers to behave in a certain way. Well, we are all different and we are allowed to behave however we want to behave and cope in whichever manner that helps. It's about time these unrealistic expectations on carers and people in general going through tough times, stopped.

I think it is difficult, I agree Kate has to do what she has to do to survive but on the other hand would he want people to know all the details of his condition? Is it compatible with his right to privacy. I don't think he is in a position to make his feelings clear. Very difficult situation for all concerned.

I would assume Kate knows enough about her (obviously so loved) husband to be able to decide that he would be ok with his ongoing battle being discussed.

It is of interest to me, because he is a survivor of the very worst covid side effects.

I too think this is a bit judgemental you don’t have to buy or read the books or watch the tv documentaries
Everybody deals with things differently the lady you speak of josieanne (who I ve never heard of) dealt with it her way Kate Garraway and her husband are dealing with it differently I m sure she wouldn’t do it if he wasn’t up for it
I shan’t be buying her book because the documentary was enough for me, but I hope it gives her and the family whatever she’s looking for, from it

Yes, definitely the Schuhmachers have all the money in the world.
I agree JaneJudge neither wife is handling the situation better or worse, just differently, and according to their personal circumstances.

Josianne it’s easy to withdraw from society with millions of Euros in the bank like the Schumachers. Kate Garraway has to earn a living.

Josianne, you highlight what I mentioned. Society expects carers to behave in a certain way. Well, we are all different and we are allowed to behave however we want to behave and cope in whichever manner that helps. It's about time these unrealistic expectations on carers and people in general going through tough times, stopped.

I agree Annie.

I am in two minds about it. I admire KateG for highlighting the awful effects of catching covid and for her honesty.
On the other hand, is it what Derek and the children really want her to do?
I draw a comparison with Corinna Schumacher who has kept very private for nearly 8 years about her husband's condition after his skiing accident, and how she has protected the family. That is equally amazing.

Indeed Anniebach.
I also agree with Casdon, Jane, Galaxy and those others who show a more compassionate side.
For those who think otherwise there’s always the off button.

flaxwoven if by milking it for all its worth you mean keeping Covid, long Covid and it’s many components in the public domain I say well done Kate.

She has a home to keep (mortgage and all the associated bills) childcare, round the clock care for Derek, so if she makes some money from her book I say well done Kate.

Everything that Jane said. I cant imagine how difficult it is to raise two children who have been through trauma, work, and be involved in her husbands care. It is obviously fortunate that she has financial stability and there will be many others in the same situation who dont have that advantage, but others misfortune doesnt make our own pain any less.

I think it’s important that people remember how many people’s lives have been and still are being affected by covid. Especially as many people seem to think it’s all over. I feel so sorry for Kate Garraway and her family. Covid is a Russian roulette of a virus and we must’n’t forget how it can affect any of us.