Manuel Cunha was found by his daughter in his room after nobody could get in contact with him
“Our house is so quiet now.” Carmen was only 19 when her dad suddenly passed away, leaving her and her mum to figure out how to plan a funeral for the man who always “gave when he didn’t have.”
The family, from Hounslow, had started May 5 off like normal. Carmen and her mum had both gone to work, while her dad, Manuel, was resting in bed after being off work as a hotel chef for the week. Carmen finished her shift and was then told by her employers that she is is being fired.
When her mum called her at 5pm, Carmen wanted to tell her what had happened, but her mum was more concerned about Manuel, whom she had not heard from. Carmen told MyLondon: “My mum called and said that when I get home, I should check on my dad because he hadn’t been answering his phone since around 12pm.
“We thought he was resting as he was off that week due to a bad leg. I got home around 7pm, and I walked into his room, and that’s when I found him on the floor. I went to touch him and he was cold. I called 999, and they asked me, ‘Be honest, do you think there’s any chance of saving him?’ I said no as I was pretty sure he had been dead for a few hours.
“My mum still wasn’t home at this point. The paramedics came and confirmed that he was dead. My mum finally got an Uber home, and when she saw my dad, she screamed.”
Manuel had suffered a heart attack. The coroner told the family that they believe a blood clot had travelled through his vein towards his heart and blocked an artery.
Manuel came to England 20 years ago from Portugal and worked his way up from waiter to chef at a hotel at Heathrow. Carmen described him as a “hardworking man, who never complained,” even though he was 72. The family plans to give him a fitting send-off. However, Manuel was the family’s main earner, so Carmen has set up a GoFundMe to put some cash together.
She continued: “My dad was reserved, but people always loved him. He was a character. He put me on to his interests, especially his love of Michael Jackson and the fact that he got to see him live in Portugal. He would wake up at 3am for his work and come home at 2pm, yet would never complain. Even though he was old, he kept working.
“We want to give him a good funeral. I never knew how expensive funerals are, and with me losing my job, my mum needs the help as well. My dad had the highest salary. I would never ask for a handout, but at this point, I’m at a loss, and I want to help my mum, even though I can’t without a paycheque.
“I think in terms of grieving, I’m doing better than I thought. I’ve had to keep going. Our house is so quiet now; it used to be so loud, but now with the quietness, you can’t help but think about it. I’m trying to keep myself busy. My mum can’t believe he’s gone and sometimes I’ll hear her go into their room and hear her speaking as if he was still there.”
Carmen said the entire funeral will cost close to £9000 . You can donate to the family’s fundraiser here.
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