A CHARITY walk will be held in memory of a young mother who died suddenly having unknowingly lived with a heart condition which affects just a handful of people.
Becky Higgins, 33, is raising money for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to remember her sister, 34-year-old Natalie Pell, who died in May 2022 just six months after she’d got married.
Natalie, who was a mum to twin boys Harley and Spencer, was enjoying a night away from home when she suffered a cardiac arrest.
Her husband, Damien, carried out CPR for 25 minutes before paramedics rushed her to Grantham Hospital.
The mother-of-two was then transferred to Sheffield where she had surgery on her heart.
Her recovery seemed to be going well, however on the day before she was to be discharged she suffered another cardiac arrest and died.
“Everything seemed to be going okay,” said Becky, from Athersley.
“She was to stay in one more night and if there weren’t any issues, they said she could go home.
“We’d got everything in place for her - people had swapped shifts round so that one of the family could always be at home with her.
“After the nightmare of cardiac arrest and the surgery, it finally seemed like good news.
“Natalie’s boys were excited, and my girls were ecstatic because she was like a second mum to them.
“Natalie had given me a call from the hospital, and she seemed fine.
“She said I’m going to have to go because the sweet cart is here - which is what she called the medication trolley.
“I said ‘I love you’ and that was the last conversation I had with her - there was no warning and I think that’s the hardest thing about it.”
Natalie’s death was attributed to sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) which is when someone dies unexpectedly, and the cause cannot be found.
In the UK, just 500 people are affected each year by SADS.
Becky and her parents are now being screened to see if there was a genetic cause.
A two-and-a-half mile memorial walk will see Natalie’s friends and family complete a route from the Eastfield Arms to the Chestnut Tree on Claycliffe Road, starting at 10.30am on May 25 - the second anniversary of Natalie’s death.
“Natalie was a daughter, mother, auntie, and the best big sister anybody could have,” Becky added.
“She always jumped at the chance to do a fundraiser so when a picture of a sponsored walk we’d done in the past came up on Facebook memories, we thought we’d do something to raise money.
“Natalie was 34 when she died - she’d not lived - so if there was a way to prevent another family going through what we’ve been through every single penny would be worth it.”
To donate, visitjustgiving.com/page/rebecca-higgins-1705154254767
