Mum-of-two dies suddenly on Christmas Day after falling ill

A MUM-of-two was preparing to celebrate Christmas with her family when she suddenly fell ill and died.

Dawn Walker, who worked as a transport driver at Lincoln County Hospital, fell ill on Christmas Eve and was rushed by ambulance for treatment.

Her husband of 33-years, Dale Walker, said her condition, known as Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (VEDS), spiralled “out of control” after she became ill.

The condition affects the blood vessels and internal organs which can “cause them to split open and lead to life-threatening bleeding,” according to the NHS website.

Dale told Lincolnshire Live: “It was normal for her to get that exhausted by approximately nine or ten in the evening, so we did not think much of it at the time when she began to feel sleepy.

“But within seconds, her condition had gotten out of control – so we had to rush her to hospital immediately.”

An ambulance took her to Lincoln Hospital within three minutes of the 999 call and she underwent a CT scan.

Her daughter Terrianne, 24, who was with her partner in Carmarthenshire, quickly packed her bags and made the 250 mile journey to be with her mum.

She said: “I received a call from my dad, and one of the first things he said was that the paramedics said that it was unlikely that she would make it through the night.

“My boyfriend’s family just chucked everything into our car and we rushed all the way back to the hospital to make sure that everything was okay.

“I spent the next five hours trying not to be sick and I don’t think I said anything to my boyfriend the whole time – I was just trying my best to keep myself focused in straight line.

“I kept texting and phoning tell him to say that I love her.”

Dawn was later transferred to Pilgrim Hospital in Boston to undergo further treatment but specialist staff were unable to save her and she died at 2am on Christmas Day.

Terrianne added: “We all woke up the following morning after having barely any sleep that night. We didn’t open any presents and I think the only food we managed was a turkey sandwich.”

Dale described his wife as a “very determined and tenacious person”.

Dawn’s brother as well as both her grandparents died from the same condition.