A DEVOTED mother who prayed for a miracle to restore her son to some form of normal life has died without seeing it accomplished.

For 19 years, Rene Woodhouse went almost daily to his bedside, willing him to speak or to respond to her family chatter.

Tragic victim

Her son, David Woodhouse, was the tragic victim of a hospital blunder when he was starved of oxygen during an emergency operation for appendicitis on May 15, 1981.

It left him with irreparable brain damage, shattering his life and that of his wife and four young daughters.

David, who was aged 26, has not spoken or walked since, is unable to eat and needs round-the-clock care.

But Rene, just 4ft 10in and the mother of seven sons and daughters, refused to accept the clinicians' judgement that her son was brain dead and dedicated her life to stimulating him to make a recovery.

She knew it would take a miracle and prayed for it to happen.

Almost every day, in all weathers, she made the trip to St Mary's Hospital, Burghill, to be at his bedside.

She insisted on doing all his washing and buying his personal toiletries and she talked to him for hours on end, telling him of the progress of his brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews.

When the hospital closed and David was moved to Newstead Nursing Home, in Venns Lane, Hereford, Rene's daily vigils continued.

She was convinced that her son recognised her, followed her round the room with his eyes and laughed at her jokes and the stories she told of his boyhood.

Rene explained to him why she and her husband Fred had moved from the long-time family home at Hinton after more than 60 years to a bungalow at Hampton Park.

"It was a mother's love. She always had the feeling that he was there and she wanted to be there for him,'' said her daughter, Ann Fern.

Devoted mother

She described Rene as a devoted mother who loved all her children equally.

"But she knew that we could care for ourselves and that David could not do so and that she had to give so much of her time to him,'' she said.

Rene won universal admiration in Hereford and that of nursing staff at St Mary's Hospital, and during the last few years at Newstead, for the care and love she gave to her son. "She became part of our little family at Newstead and she will be greatly missed,'' said Maureen Price, area supervisor of Hereford Care Services which owns the nursing home.

It was 14 months ago that Rene was diagnosed as suffering with cancer and she had to reduce her visits while she had treatment and more recently became more tired.

Getting weaker

She knew she was getting weaker and two weeks ago went to Newstead to visit David for the last time to say her goodbyes.

Rene, who had been a patient in the day unit at St Michael's Hospice for some time was admitted to the hospice and died last Saturday with most of her family at her bedside.

She did not know that, hours before, her granddaughter Joanne Cumbes had given birth to a son, Harrie.

On Sunday members of the family went to Newstead to tell David of his mother's death.

Rene, who would have been 80 next month, is survived by her husband Fred, sons John, Keith, Brian and David and daughters Ann Fern, Ruth Steele and Linda Gummer.

Her funeral service will be held at the Salvation Army Citadel, in Edgar Street, tomorrow at 10.30am followed by burial at St Paul's, Tupsley.

Before she died, Rene asked her husband Fred to ensure that her beloved youngest son David was at the service. "I shall do my best to see that he is,'' he said.