A HEARTBROKEN husband has told how his wife went to sleep with a sore shoulder – and never woke up.
Richard Duffy, 38, said his wife Clare had woken up with shoulder pain and thought a hot bath and a good nap would be enough to ease her pain.
As the mum-of-two lay down she asked her loving husband to wake her if she overslept at their home in Little Hulton, Manchester.
But the reality was much worse as Richard went to check on her only to find his 41-year-old wife unresponsive.
Desperate to save his wife, Richard called the emergency services but it was too late with Clare pronounced dead on January 8.
Richard told the MEN: "I was emotionally distraught, I was screaming.
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“I ran into my daughter’s bedroom and I was straight on the phone to emergency services. It doesn’t feel real but it all feels like a blur. It went by so quickly.”
It was later discovered that Clare, who lived with Richard and children Harry, 16 and Alice, 15, had died from a pulmonary embolism.
A pulmonary embolism occurs when a clump of material such as a blood clot, blocks an artery in the lungs.
Symptoms of a pulmonary embolism include sharp or stabbing chest pains that starts suddenly or come on gradually.
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Shortness of breath, coughing up blood and feeling faint or dizzy are also common signs.
Born and raised in Salford, Clare has been described as a “beautiful, wonderful and bubbly” person who “everybody liked”.
What are the symptoms of pulmonary embolism?
Pulmonary embolism is where a blood vessel in the lungs gets blocked – typically caused by a blood clot from a deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
The clot stops the blood flow to the lungs, and in severe cases it can cause immediate cardiac arrest.
Around one in three people with undiagnosed PE don't survive, according to the Mayo Clinic.
However, quick treatment if you do recognise the signs, can greatly reduce the risk of death.
Signs include:
- Breathlessness
- Chest pain
- Coughing up blood
- Fever
- Faster heart rate
- Pain in the leg
According to the National Blood Clot Alliance, while the risk of DVT or PE in adults is 1 in 1000 per year, the equivalent risk in children may be as low as 1 in 1 million per year.
This may be an underestimate, however, because the diagnosis is rarely suspected in children.
She was known to be extremely family-orientated and spent any spare time making memories with her loved ones.
Richard and Clare had been due to celebrate their 10-year wedding anniversary when Clare tragically passed away.
He continued: “Everybody she met liked her. Her family was her main interest.
"Any spare time she spent with her daughter, son, nephews or nieces. She was very family-orientated.”
And the devastated dad says his teenagers Harry and Alice are still struggling to come to terms with their mum’s passing.
Richard said: “My son is still closed off. It was worse for my daughter.
“While I was on the phone to paramedics, her bedroom was right next door. She heard everything that was going on.”
Sadly, Clare’s passing is not the only tragedy to have hit the family in recent times as her mum Catherine also died suddenly on December 19.
A Gofundme appeal has been set up to help Richard, Harry and Alice raise some of the funds needed for two funerals.
The description reads: “I am humbly asking for a little help so that I can give Clare and her mum the send off they deserve and I am in the process of trying to do this.
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“I know Clare and Cath were both loved by so many of the people they met in their eventful lives and I am hoping to show that one more time.”
To donate, click the link here.
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