'Mum's sudden death completely rocked our family'

A woman from Shrewsbury has vowed to increase awareness of heart disease after her family was left "completely rocked" when her mother died suddenly in her sleep.

Georgina King's mum Judy King, 57, was found dead in April after saying she was not feeling well and was going to bed "for an hour or two".

She suffered with symptoms for years, Georgina said, but it was only after her death when doctors discovered she had ischaemic heart disease and died from a heart attack.

"It has completely rocked our family," she said.

She described her mum as a "phenomenal" woman who loved her children and grandchildren.

"All she wanted to do was spend time with us - I was with my mum every day, I loved her so much," Georgina said.

Her mum's symptoms included pain in her shoulders, swelling in her legs, indigestion, heart burn, dizziness and heart palpitations.

She went to see her GP a number of times, Georgina added, but she was never diagnosed with ischaemic heart disease and her symptoms got progressively worse.

"It was extremely sudden, we had no indication this was going to happen," she said. "She just went to bed for a nap in the daytime and that was that."

Ischaemic heart disease, also known as coronary heart disease, affects 2.3 million people in the UK, according to the British Heart Foundation.

It happens when the coronary arteries become narrowed by fatty material, which can lead to the heart not getting enough blood.

Georgina said she wanted to raise awareness of the symptoms and urged anyone who might suspect they had the illness to push the doctors for a heart exam.

"I don't want this to keep happening to families, absolutely not," she added. "If people even have one or two of these symptoms - go and insist your heart is checked."

A family fun day is due to be held in Judy's memory at the Red Lion pub in Bomere Heath on 16 August, with proceeds going towards the British Heart Foundation.

Georgina, who organised the event, said: "I want to keep my mum's name alive as much as I can and just raise as much awareness as I can."

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