A family have been left devastated after their mum died suddenly after her birthday night out. Joanne Barker, 53, had shown no symptoms of illness before she died from fatal haemorrhage caused by a brain aneurysm.
Joanne had been out for dinner to celebrate her birthday earlier this year before returning home. She appeared well with 'nothing wrong' after a lovely evening of festivities.
However, during the night she became unresponsive and was rushed to hospital for immediate treatment. Doctors identified a brain aneurysm - a type of bulge in the artery wall - as to blame, having resulted in a fatal haemorrhage, reports Liverpool Echo.
Joanne's family were unaware of any symptoms of a brain aneurysm prior to her death, stating she appeared fit and healthy. The mum of two was on no medication and regularly walked their pet dog three times a day prior to her untimely passing.
The 53-year-old had two children, with her daughter, Neve Hayter and son, Lee Barker broken by the loss of their 'selfless mother'. Her selflessness continued beyond life due to her being registered for organ donation, with her heart donated to a woman in her 60s who was in need of an “urgent transplant”.
Meanwhile, her kidneys went to two men in their 30s. Her generosity could have potentially played a part in saving three lives, with all the patients in need of organ donations.
Joanne’s family hope sharing their tragic experience will encourage others who may have any early warning symptoms of a possible aneurysm to seek medical help.
Neve said: “We feel there’s not enough awareness. None of us knew she had an aneurysm and none of us knew what it’s like, it was like ‘where the hell has this come from? It’s important.
“My mum had no past medical history, she took no tablets, she walked the dog three times a day.
“She put everyone else before herself, and she had a heart of gold, and for her funeral we took donations for Mind because she tried to help a lot of people with mental health, she’s done a lot for them.”
Neve, a trainee nurse, said aneurysm symptoms can be difficult to spot as they can overlap with other conditions and feeling generally unwell. Others symptoms however can be more noticeable, such as visual disturbance, pain near the eye, weakness or numbness on one side of the face, loss of balance, difficulty speaking, and headaches.
Neve added: “Even if someone just had a [MRI] scan, it could potentially save someone’s life, even if it’s one person.”
A group of 22 will be completing a walk up Snowdon next year in her memory in aid of The Brain Charity in Liverpool. To support the climb and find out more information, visit the “Brain Aneurysm Awareness“ fundraiser’s page at justgiving.com
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