On the morning of January 2021, on what started out as a very normal and grey winters morning, our lives changed forever in an instant. My fiancé Andy collapsed and died suddenly at home whilst getting ready for work at aged just 31. There was no warning, no symptoms and no indication of what was to come.

You often hear ‘tomorrow is never promised’ and ‘you never know whats around the corner’ but you never think it will apply to you. When I think of ‘our story’ it still feels like something you read and think ‘wow, I can’t imagine..’

I honestly don’t know how we got through it but we did. Every day is still a silent reminder of what we lost and what we could of had. I’ve seen friends and family get married and start families and it’s still hard to process that we will never have the same.

People often say we are strong but I think life just has a funny way of just going on. Even though I had no idea what I was doing, and still don’t, I went on too for the sake of our son. It still baffles me that even though your world has come to a halt, the rest of the world keeps going and you just have to catch up.

Andy and I had been together our whole adult lives from being teenagers and were due to marry in 2020. However, during the height of the first covid 19 pandemic our upcoming wedding in the August of 2020, like all events at the time, had to be postponed. Our big day was rearranged for August of the following year but tragically Andy died before our new wedding date.

The thing I am most thankful for though is that we were able to start a family and the 3 of us had a short almost 2 years together. The birth of our son, Arlo, is still the greatest moment of our lives and it pains me that Andy won’t be by my side to see our son grow up. Andy passed just a month before Arlo’s second birthday and whilst he may not remember his dad as he grows up, we will make sure he knows everything about his daddy and hope he can feel his presence with him during all the big milestones to come.

Andy died that day from SADS (sudden adult death syndrome) which is usually caused by an undiagnosed heart condition which can lead to sudden death in young, healthy people.

During those initial dark days we were directed to CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) and I honestly don’t know what we would have done without their support and guidance. Since then, Andy’s family and friends have rallied around each other and undertaken many fundraising activities and held events in Andy’s memory. With all the money raised (which so far is a LOT!) we have been able to hold multiple heart screenings in our home town of Longridge for all young people aged 14-35. We are incredibly proud to be able to raise money in Andy’s memory and hope to continue to do so for as long as we can. These events can potentially save lives and prevent other people going through what we have.

Andy was a wonderful person, a loving partner and daddy, a dear son and brother-in-law and a great friend to many.

He was wise beyond his years, a devout football fan (even following his beloved England all over the world) he was intelligent, honest and caring. I’ll never understand why it had to be him, as he had so much more to offer this world and deserved every opportunity that came his way. We all miss and love Andy every single day and nothing is the same without him here.