The BBC has reported that the family of Mary Agyapong is yet to receive any money raised from GoFundMe’s campaign, which was created last year.
Pregnant NHS nurse Mary Agyapong passed away at Luton and Dunstable Hospital after giving birth to her daughter in April 2020.
A GoFundMe page was created by family friend Rhoda Asiedu after the nurse’s death to support her baby daughter and family.
The campaign raised more than £186,000 for Mary, although reports now say that the family are yet to receive the donations.
Who was Mary Agyapong?
Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong was a 28-year-old NHS nurse who worked for five years at Luton and Dunstable University Hospital.
She was admitted to hospital on April 7th, 2020, after contracting Covid-19 a few days before that.
The NHS nurse died on April 12th following the birth of her baby daughter, who was delivered by caesarean section.
Mary Agyapong’s GoFundMe situation explained
A GoFundMe campaign created by family friend Rhoda Asiedu has raised more than £186,000 for Mary Agyapong’s family and daughter.
The funds have been paid to Rhoda’s solicitors, Blue Trinity, who have placed the money “on trust” for the education of Mary’s children, the BBC has reported. The nurse’s children will get 80% of the money when they each turn 21 years old.
Blue Trinity said that the remaining 20% would be paid to Mary’s widower Ernest Boateng for “maintenance and upkeep” of the children. However, the solicitors said that the widower had “failed to co-operate with the trustees to arrange a schedule of maintenance”.
In response, Ernest told the BBC that he has been “struggling a bit” financially, explaining: “I find it very surprising that we have not been asked or involved with this GoFundMe money – it’s beyond my understanding.”
GoFundMe responds
GoFundMe said that it was clear from the beginning that the funds would be paid into a trust, saying: