Coronavirus: Castle Hill's Richzeal Albufera fund grows
A campaign fund for a scientist who died with coronavirus has raised more than £5,500 for his body to be sent to family in the Philippines.
Richzeal Albufera, 45, a biomedical scientist at Cottingham's Castle Hill Hospital, died on Tuesday. The fundraising page was set up "to give Rich the send-off he deserves back at home". Organiser Nikkie Gromet said: "It's been overwhelming with the amount we've raised in 24 hours." Ms Gromet, a radiographer at Castle Hill Hospital, said there would be a "significant cost" to the repatriation and has set a £10,000 target for the fund. Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust had confirmed Mr Albufera died on Tuesday at Hull Royal Infirmary (HRI). He died after battling "severe complications" associated with coronavirus, it added. Mr Albufera's wife is a nurse at HRI. Andrey Dela Cruz, a friend of Mr Albufera, said: "His work as scientist brought him to laboratories in the Philippines, Japan, Saudi Arabia and finally the UK, in which he was on the forefront of virological testing amidst the pandemic. "He is the epitome of what the NHS is all about, as no matter the ethnic background, skin colour, gender, the staff work there to improve and save lives and this is what Rich embodied. "The UK should be proud." Chris Long, the trust's chief executive, said "Richzeal had already given so much to the NHS and had so much more to give." Mr Alburfera had worked for the trust since April 2005. Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.