Claire Opie Support Fund

Claire Opie is 42 years old. She is a wonderful Mum to daughters Emma 15 and Evie 10 and is a much loved wife, daughter, sister, auntie and friend. Claire is also a dedicated and compassionate carer for ‘Care South’, looking after vulnerable people in their own homes. She loves her job and always has a smile on her face, bringing much sunshine into the lives of her clients. This is a true reflection of Claire’s bubbly personality, she makes everyone laugh with her bold jokes and cheeky sense of humour. Emma and Evie are both wonderful, caring daughters, sharing  their Mum’s courageous personality.

During the peak of the coronavirus crisis Claire was still bringing smiles to her clients’ faces, but during the afternoon of Monday 6th April she had just arrived home after picking up a prescription for a self-isolating family member when she fell very ill and was found unresponsive. Claire’s husband, Rob called for an ambulance straight away and she was rushed into the Royal United Hospital in Bath with a suspected stroke. She was later transferred to the intensive care unit at Southmead hospital in Bristol where scans confirmed that she had indeed suffered a stroke. After spending almost a week in Intensive Care she was finally well enough to be transferred back to the RUH and is currently being cared for in the Acute Stroke Ward. Doctors and Physiotherapists are working very hard to come up with a care plan to ensure the best possible outcome for Claire. She is a true fighter and we hope that her recovery will be as successful as possible. Things are so much more difficult at the moment as close family are not able to go in and visit due to COVID-19, but thankfully Claire and Rob’s immediate family are amazing and are doing all they can to help support Rob and the girls.

Rob is a self-employed painter and decorator but unfortunately, like thousands of others at this time, has been unable to earn money due to the pandemic restrictions. As he only started his business around a year ago he does not qualify for financial support from the government, and is now on zero income. Rob’s focus obviously needs to be on Claire’s rehabilitation and caring for Emma and Evie over the coming months. 

Please give what you can to help this lovely family. Life is extremely difficult for many people at the moment whilst we are all in the grip of COVID-19, but donations will mean that Rob can concentrate on caring for his family rather than worrying about putting food on the table and paying the bills.

Thank you so much - your donations will be providing a lifeline to Rob, Claire, Emma and Evie during this very difficult time.