Whittlesey father of three who lost wife to brain aneurysm vows to use experience to help Peterborough charity

A father of three from Whittlesey who lost his wife to a brain aneurysm has spoken of his heartbreak on telling his young sons about what had happened to their mum – and has vowed to use his experience to help a Peterborough based charity.

Jonny Wicks, a former policeman, lost wife Rachel in 2019 when she died suddenly from the condition.

Now he is hoping to help others, after starting a new role with the Leprosy Mission.

The devoted father of sons Harry, Josh and Jude, recalls the moment Rachel died and said: “Initially it’s just obviously devastation and you can’t get your head around it. You start to think about what this means in so many different ways: ‘I’m never going to see her again.’ Then, ‘Oh my goodness, I’ve got to go home and tell my boys.’

“The doctors took me to see Rachel, and I think that was probably the most traumatic thing, just seeing her and kissing on the forehead, and her being cold. That will stay with me forever.”

Four years on, Jonny, believes his faith and the support of others has helped him process the loss and he has been blessed to meet and marry Gemma, as well as start a new role with the Leprosy Mission, a charity that aims to achieve zero leprosy transmission by 2035.

Having been on the receiving end of immense kindness following Rachel’s death, Jonny was keen to ‘give something back’.

He said: “When we were at our point of need, people gathered around and rallied, they lifted us up and encouraged us, but when you have leprosy, the opposite happens. People shun you, they ostracise you. It struck a chord that when these people suffer, they have no support – and that’s The Leprosy Mission is there for.

“People wrongly assume that leprosy died out years ago but this is a disease which not only causes life-changing, debilitating physical disabilities, but on top of that you’re dealing with stigma, rejection and isolation. And it’s something we can cure. The cure has been here for 40 years! Leprosy doesn’t need to exist.”

To find out more about the Leprosy Mission, visit www.leprosymission.org.uk