A mother who went to sleep with a sore shoulder tragically never woke up again.
Clare Duffy died at the age of 41 after, one morning, she complained about shoulder pain, for which she thought a hot bath and a good nap would solve.
She told her husband Richard, 38, to wake her up if she overslept.
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The following morning, he went in to check on his sleeping wife, who was found unresponsive.
Despite his call to emergency services, it was already too late.
Clare was pronounced dead on 8 January and left behind two children.
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Her mother Catherine also died suddenly on 19 December.
“I was emotionally distraught,” Richard told the Manchester Evening News.
“I was screaming. I ran into my daughter’s bedroom and I was straight on the phone to emergency services.
“It doesn’t feel real but it all feels like a blur.
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“It went by so quickly.”
The husband later learned that his late wife died from a pulmonary embolism, which occurs when a clump of material, most often a blood clot, gets stuck in an artery in the lungs.
It blocks the flow of blood and can be life-threatening if not treated quickly.
Initial symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing up blood and feeling faint or dizzy are also common signs.
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You might also get sharp or stabbing pains in the chest.
“[Catherine’s death] is still under investigation,” Richard said.
“It was a big shock. She had not been well for a while and was on a lot of painkillers. [Clare] spent a lot of time with her mum, she had to drive past her house to get to work so she saw her on a daily basis.”
Clare was born and raised in Salford and worked on the transport team at Kenny Waste Management.
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She has been described as a 'beautiful, wonderful and bubbly' person who 'everybody liked'.
Richard says teenagers Harry, 16, and Alice, 15, are still struggling to come to terms with the passing of their mum.
“My son is still closed off. It was worse for my daughter,” he said.
“While I was on the phone to paramedics, her bedroom was right next door. She heard everything that was going on.”
The family have now been left with two funerals to pay for and a GoFundMe page has been set up to help raise some funds.
To donate, click on the following link - GoFundMe.
Featured Image Credit: MEN Media