Care worker reunited with her daughter after two months apart

Video and text from SWNS

This emotional video shows the moment a care worker was reunited with her seven-year-old daughter - for the first time in almost seven weeks amid Covid-19 fears.

Little Ruby Cave usually lives full-time with her mum, Lisa Cave, 40, who works as a carer at a care home for disabled residents.

But Ruby suffers from severe asthma and respiratory problems - and, due to the nature of Lisa's job, the mum-of-one made the "heartbreaking" decision to send Ruby to stay with her father.

Lisa, from Stalham, Norfolk, said it felt like "someone had ripped my heart out" after she said goodbye to Ruby on March 26.

She said: "I feel lost. My house is so quiet. My friend said to me that it's like I've been grieving.

"I've been FaceTiming her every day, and her dad has been fantastic - I can't praise him enough. Of all the people in the world, I couldn't ask for a better dad for her.

"But she's a real mummy's girl, she always has been. She's been really upset she can't have her mummy cuddles before bedtime.

"And last week, Lisa decided she couldn't wait any longer - and drove the ten miles to Paul's house in Mundesley, Norfolk, to give her daughter a big surprise.

She said: "I got all this PPE equipment on order, and I phoned her dad about a week beforehand and told him I just needed a cuddle.

"I went round there last Wednesday. She didn't recognise me to begin with, because I was all suited up in the protective clothing.

"But when she realised it was me, she flew into my arms and just sobbed. She kept telling me she loves me and misses me."

Lisa added: "That cuddle is going to get me through the next few weeks."Lisa said it was not an easy decision to make to send Ruby to live with Paul, who is furloughed from work and can therefore take care of Ruby full-time.

But she said: "I couldn't risk being the one to infect her because of where I work.

"Ruby has very severe asthma, and suffers from croup, which closes the airwaves.

"She's been in and out of hospital a lot in her short life - about half the time she has an asthma attack she ends up in hospital.

"Luckily, she's very intelligent for her age, and she understands why mummy can't be with her."

"Paul has been cracking. He's had schoolwork lined up for her every day of the week, and he's teaching her French and Spanish."

And now, Lisa is calling for people to stay at home, so that she can be reunited with Ruby again soon.

She said: "This 'stay alert' business is diabolical. People are so confused - stay alert from what? It's an invisible virus.

"Just stay at home. There are so many key workers out there who have been parted from their loved ones, and my heart aches for them as I know what they're going through.

"If you're able to be with your family, please stay home so I can see my child again."