Heartbroken miner who rushed home from Australia to see his dying wife denied chance to say goodbye

Heartbroken miner who rushed home from Australia to see his dying wife one last time after she was given just hours to live is DENIED the chance to say his final goodbye

  • Bernie Ryan was refused an exemption to visit his dying wife in Christchurch
  • The miner flew back from Australia on Sunday after his wife’s cancer worsened
  • He said the Ministry of Health is forcing him to remain in quarantine for 14 days

A husband who returned to New Zealand to see his dying wife one last time is being denied the chance to say goodbye as he is forced into quarantine.

Bernie Ryan flew back to the country on Sunday from his job as a mining contractor in Brisbane after hearing his wife Christine – who has terminal lung cancer – had only hours to live.

Mr Ryan is trapped in quarantine in Auckland and forced to self-isolate in a hotel for 14 days.

He told RNZ that he was refused an exemption to see his wife and say goodbye.

‘In the interim, her organs have started to fail and she’s on a morphine drip. My three children, distraught children, are with her, obviously wanting me to be around. I have family support there with her but ultimately it’s not the father, is it?’ Mr Ryan said. 

His wife was diagnosed with lung cancer 18 months ago, and was making progress when Mr Ryan flew to Australia for work.

Bernie Ryan (pictured with wife Christine Taylor) is being denied the chance to say goodbye to his dying wife because of COVID-19 restrictions

Bernie Ryan flew back to New Zealand on Sunday from his job as a mining contractor in Brisbane after hearing his wife's cancer had aggressively returned and she had only hours to live (pictured: passengers outside the Auckland international airport)

Bernie Ryan flew back to New Zealand on Sunday from his job as a mining contractor in Brisbane after hearing his wife’s cancer had aggressively returned and she had only hours to live (pictured: passengers outside the Auckland international airport)

But her condition deteriorated and he jumped on the earliest flight from Brisbane back to Auckland to try and get to her hospital bed in their home city Christchurch.

On arrival he was placed into mandatory isolation and immediately appealed for an exemption from the Ministry of Health.

Despite no symptoms of COVID-19 and a letter of support from the GP he said his request was knocked back.  

His first attempt to see her was rejected after two days of waiting for a response.

He lodged another appeal, and was brought to tears after receiving another rejection several days later, this time via a phone call from the Ministry of Health.

Mr Ryan is begging health authorities to ignore the bureaucratic red tape and show some humanity.  

‘Well, I’m a proud Kiwi, we’re the best country in the world, just [show] some compassion… instead of these generic emails I’ve been getting, what about just some compassion? And not every case is the same is basically is what I’m saying,’ he said. 

‘It’s breaking my heart really.’ 

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the New Zealand Ministry of Health for comment.

A grieving husband is unable to say goodbye to his dying wife as he remains trapped in mandatory quarantine at a hotel in Auckland (Pictured; The Novotel hotel in Auckland where new arrivals are being isolated to prevent the spread of COVID-19)

A grieving husband is unable to say goodbye to his dying wife as he remains trapped in mandatory quarantine at a hotel in Auckland (Pictured; The Novotel hotel in Auckland where new arrivals are being isolated to prevent the spread of COVID-19)

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