A mother who was “terrified” of living without her terminally ill husband died of a “broken heart” just three days before he died of cancer. Sharon and Wayne Dann had been married for almost 10 years and referred to each other as their “soulmate.”
In October 2023, Wayne, who had previously undergone radiation therapy for cancer in his groin, discovered that it had spread to his lungs and required surgery. Unfortunately, doctors were unable to remove it and in February, the 57-year-old was diagnosed with sarcoma, a rare type of tumor that develops in the bones and connective tissue.
The landscape gardener was due to begin chemotherapy, but in March, Wayne’s condition deteriorated and he was rushed to hospital. Sharon, 54, refused to leave her bed for six days.
Her daughter Ellie Steward said her mother had trouble eating or sleeping because she was so afraid of living in a world without her husband. The 29-year-old described their relationship as one based on mutual adoration and lots of laughter as they were simply “each other’s person.”
Just three days before Wayne’s death, Ellie received a phone call from her mother, who was having difficulty breathing, and it changed her life. She rushed to Warwick Hospital, where she was told that Sharon had suffered a heart attack caused by broken heart syndrome, also known as stress cardiomyopathy or takotsubo syndrome. This rare condition occurs when a person experiences sudden, severe stress that can quickly weaken the heart muscle and endanger their life, she said. Sun.
Sharon was placed in a medically induced coma but sadly passed away on April 4. Wayne died three days later, on April 7. Ellie, from Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, said: “My mother had a very difficult time. She was very stressed and worried about all this. “I tried to be there for her as much as I could because I didn’t want her to be alone.”
“When Wayne was rushed to the hospital, we were told he wouldn’t be able to receive chemotherapy. The hospital called us the next day and told us, ‘We think he’s going to die today.’”
Wayne pulled through, but the emotional toll was too much for Sharon. “The extent of my mother’s distress was enormous,” Ellie said. “She was non-stop in the hospital room with him; she only went home twice to change clothes. “She wasn’t eating, she wasn’t sleeping and I kept trying to get her out of the room.”
On Easter Sunday, Sharon called her daughter to tell her she was having trouble breathing. They took her to the hospital, where Ellie ran to join her “as fast as she could.” “The nurses told me my mother had had a heart attack,” she said. “I arrived and they put her in a coma. Then she died. The doctor said it was a form of broken heart syndrome.”
Devastated, Ellie described her mother as an incredibly loving and caring woman. Her stepfather was a wonderfully funny man who always knew how to make others smile. The retail worker hopes that sharing her story will encourage other grieving people to take more care of her.
Ellie, who got a tattoo in memory of her mother, said: “They were soulmates, that’s how they described each other. They would finish each other’s sentences; They were each other’s person. My mother was a caregiver, so by nature she was very loving and caring. My stepfather was very funny; he had a great sense of humor. Until the last day I saw him, he made me and my mother laugh.”
He added: “A lot of older people die from broken heart syndrome, so I think it’s quite rare for someone your age and something doctors don’t really see. I wasn’t surprised when they said that was what they thought had happened, as I knew how afraid my mother was of feeling alone. Since it happened, things are getting worse and worse if I’m honest. “I’m on the waiting list for counseling.”
