At 19 years old, Beryl Ewing's daughter, Suzanne, had everything to look forward to.  Then suddenly she was gone,  Searching for answers, Beryl turned to craft to help her cope...

Nineteen-years-old, full of life and full of fun, with a smile as bright as her future - that was my eldest, Suzanne. 

She'd always had lots of friends.  In October 1999 she'd just got her first boyfriend and she was studying a childcare course while working with me part-time at Royal Mail in Chester where we live. 

One day, Suzanne was getting ready for an overtime shift at the mail centre when she came to me and said, "Mum, I'm going to faint."  And then she died, right in front of me. 

I phoned the ambulance and they told me to do CPR but that was it, my beautiful girl had gone.  There was no warning.  No signs.  She hadn't been unwell. 

Can you imagine seeing your own child die in front of you.  If I hadn't been there I would never have believed how quick it was. 

Suzanne's sister, Kathryn, was there too because it was school half-term holidays.  She was just 15 at the time. 

The post-mortem concluded that Suzanne had died of natural causes - but I knew there was nothing natural about the way she had died.  A second post-mortem revealed a heart condition called 'Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC). 

ARVC is a sudden adult death condition - a faulty heart muscle had affected the rhythm of Suzanne's heart and it stopped working. 

As I waited for answers, I turned to the charity CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young).  I had so many questions.  One minute Suzanne was there and the next, she had gone.  It was so sudden.  So final.

CRY raises awareness of cardiac health in the young and helped me to understand what had happened to my daughter. 

For years afterwards, I bought their printed Christmas cards as my way of supporting them. 

About five years ago, I was out shopping with my friend, Debbie, who way buying papercraft bits and pieces for her daughter when she said she was surprised that I wasn't into cardmaking.  I've always been into crafts - knitting, crochet, cross stitch - as I've never been one for sitting doing nothing. 

It's too time-consuming," I said, at the time thinking how pretty the stuff was she was buying.  So I gave cardmaking a go - and that was it, I loved if of course and now I can't stop! 

Soon after I phoned CRY to tell them I'd like to make cards for them to raise money.  They sent me some CRY stickers, which I put on every card. 

Since then I've made all sorts of designs, with punches, peel-offs and so on.  but at the end of last year it snowed heavily in Chester, for the first time in years.  So I went out early in the morning and took photos of the city in snow. 

Since then I've been printing off my photos, making borders and inserts and they've been selling like hotcakes, especially to people who lived in Chester bur are now living abroad. 

I sell a lot of cards to my colleagues at the Royal Mail and to my friends and family.  Last year I raised about £250 for CRY. 

It shows that everybody is thinking about Suzanne.  Christmas can be a sad time - October is always hard - but cardmaking gives me a boost.  I think, "Right, it's time to start making the cards."  It keeps me busy and helps me such a lot. 

Unfortunately, we know now that Suzanne's condition was hereditary, so the family goes to London regularly to be tested. 

Suzanne and Kathryn's father died of a brain tumour when he was just 38.  The girls were four and one at the time.  When you lose your husband so young, you think that nothing that bad can every happen again.  But it did. 

Friends say I've had a tough life but I like to keep positive.  Even as a young widow with two small children I didn't dwell.  I knitted toys and clothes for the girls and kept myself busy.  For me, craft is therapy and a trip to the craft shop can lift my spirits. 

A few years after my first husband died, I married David, who became father to the girls and helped Kathryn and I through losing Suzanne. 

Today, my wonderful daughter Kathryn, now 26, lives in Queensland, Australia, with her partner, Sonny and their beautiful son - Kieran, 10 months.  I miss her so much but we Skype often and David and I have just come back from visiting them.  They're so happy over there and I am for them. 

With Kathryn so far away I have more time on my hands.  As always it's to craft that I turn to keep busy, making cards in memory of my beautiful Suzanne. 

Every week in the UK, 12 apparently fit and healthy young people die from undiagnosed heart conditions.

CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) helps to educate and raise awareness of these conditions.

 For more information or to donate visit www.c-r-y.org.uk or call 01737 363 222 or email cry@c-r-y.org.uk