Sarah died at the age of 29 years on the 18th of August 2000, of an undetected heart condition called Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy. To see her you'd have never thought there'd be anything wrong with her. She was so fit and active and went to keep fit at the gym and also did yoga. She loved life, and she lived life to the full.
She achieved so much in her life. She gained 9 "O" levels, as well as "A" levels, and went on to Birmingham University. At the time of her death, she was an office manager for a company called P.D.C. Brush in Crewe.
Sarah loved watching her beloved Arsenal Football team, and also drawing, sketching, and painting – and she had an "A" level in Art. She loved listening to many of her CDs and singing to them, and even did a few karaokes and won some prizes as well. She was our life, and our hearts broke into a thousand pieces the day she died. She had everything to live for, it seems so unfair she was taken from us. We love and miss her terribly.
She collapsed at work just outside the main office on a Friday afternoon around 4.30pm. At 4.10pm I'd been talking to her on the phone and said me and Ian would see her in town on the Saturday morning. She said she was fine, and I went on my way to work for 5.30pm.
Then my husband Harry received a call from her boss, who told him the best he could what had happened. Sarah's boss arranged a taxi to take Harry to Leighton Hospital in Crewe and he'd meet him at A & E. My husband phoned my supervisor, and she rushed me and Ian (Sarah's brother) there. The police had to go to break the news to my other son Lee and he was in a terrible state.
When we arrived at the hospital, Harry was coming out of the Resuscitation Room with a nurse, and he said Sarah's heart had stopped and doctors and staff were trying to revive her. We just couldn't believe what was happening to our lovely daughter. The nurse took me to see her, while they were trying to get her back. It was like a bad dream and was I wondering when I was going to wake up – only to find nothing happening.
The doctors tried for an hour, but it was all in vain. Even they were all upset, we were told, as you can imagine you would be. At her funeral, three managing directors came from Belgium to attend. Her boss said they'd never been to a funeral for someone so young who had worked for them. She was thought of so fondly by them, everybody who met her loved her – all her friends and colleagues came as well. The chapel was packed and some were outside too.
My eldest son Lee who is 33 years old, ran the London Marathon in memory of her and raised £2000 for CRY. We were so proud of him (his first ever run) and now my other son Ian, who is 18, is running the 2006 London Marathon (his first) for her too. I'm sure she is so proud of them.
When we lost Sarah we, we just didn't lose a daughter and sister. We lost our best friend as well. But I know she is still with us, looking down on us, only a heart beat away and by our sides until "we all meet again", and we're still proud of her.
CRY is a fantastic organisation and we are proud to belong to the charity. Sarah would be too.
