Sana Masood, a regular locum pharmacist at Neils Pharmacy in Prescot, Merseyside, has died from COVID-19 aged 30 years, leaving a “huge hole” in her family and friends’ lives.
Masood, who had type 1 diabetes, passed away on 1 April 2021, with her funeral taking place the next day, following Islamic tradition.
Ambreen Ghaffur, a close friend and fellow pharmacist, said Masood was admitted to hospital where, following complications, she was immediately transferred to intensive care, but did not recover. She is survived by her mother, two brothers and husband.
“Sana was the most kind-hearted and friendly person you would meet,” said Ghaffur.
“She would light up a room with her warmth and gentle nature. She was one of my best friends for over ten years and all the times we spent together were full of laughter and happiness.”
Masood, who was originally from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, was a preregistration student at Neils Pharmacy, where she was known as “little Sana”, and continued to work there regularly after qualifying.
“She was a wonderfully thoughtful, generous and kind person,” said Waqas Ahmed, owner and manager of Neils Pharmacy. “She was always happy and upbeat, which reflected in her work, into her teammates and the people she dealt with as a pharmacist.”
Ahmed described her as “a very high calibre pharmacist” with the potential to achieve whatever she wanted.
“She always went above and beyond when dealing with patients, and always had a smile on her face. She was loved by the patients and her team members, and had a positive impact on everything she was involved with.
“She is greatly missed by all those who knew her and she will be a great loss to not only Neils Pharmacy, but the pharmacy profession as a whole.”
Ghaffur has set up a fundraising page in memory of Masood. Initially, it was hoped that the money raised through the page would be put towards building classrooms in schools in rural impoverished areas of Pakistan, from where Masood’s family originate.
However, owing to an “overwhelming response” in which more than £2,000 was raised in the first 24 hours, the target is now to raise £9,000 to build an entire school. Any additional proceeds will be donated to Diabetes UK. At the time of writing, £6,990 had been raised.
“Despite COVID-19 restrictions, I believe the fundraiser is a way for her family and friends to do something positive and memorable in Sana’s honour, and aid in the healing process,” said Ghaffur.
“Sana was extremely hard working herself and wanted the best for others. Education is the key to unlock opportunities and building a school in her name is something that would reflect her life and the values she lived by.”
Masood’s husband, Azam Ali, described his wife as a “kind and pure-hearted person” that he could always lean on for guidance, advice and support.
“If a family or friend was in distress she would be there in a heartbeat for support and advice. It is for this reason I think we have seen such an overwhelming response to the fundraising and, in this time of great loss, it has given me so much peace,” he said.