Family torn apart as dad-of-three died suddenly just 3 days after complaining that his back hurt
A DAD-of-three died just three days after complaining that his back hurt.
Ben Staples left work early on June 5 when he noticed an ache “radiating” across both shoulders.
He went home, where his wife Kylie was looking after their three children, May, Tom and Lynette.
While they were all in the kitchen, Ben collapsed elsewhere in the house.
Little May called for an ambulance while Kylie administered CPR.
Unconscious, Ben was rushed to hospital, where he passed away three days later.
Doctors confirmed he had suffered a heart attack.
Kylie’s cousin Laura Nixon, from Preston in Victoria, Australia, said the family had been left heartbroken by the loss of their “beloved husband and father”.
Writing on a GoFundMe to support the Staples, she said: “Their entire world has fallen apart.
“There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding their future.
“I would love to raise some money to create a little bit more certainty as they begin to navigate a life without their loved one.
“I know times are tough for a lot of people, but if you could find it in your heart to make even the smallest donation, it would be greatly appreciated.
“No one should have to go through such a tragedy feeling isolated or unsupported.”
A heart attack is when the supply of the blood to the heart is suddenly blocked.
It is a medical emergency and needs to be treated right away.
Around 100,000 people are admitted to hospital due to heart attacks every year in the UK, according to the British Heart Foundation.
That’s 290 each day, or one every five minutes.
Some symptoms, like chest pain, shortness of breath and feeling lightheaded or dizzy, can be fairly obvious.
But the signs aren’t always so blatant, the NHS warns. Other more subtle symptoms of a heart attack include:
- Pain in other parts of the body (it can feel as if the pain is spreading from your chest to your arms, jaw, neck, back and stomach)
- Sweating
- Feeling sick
- Vomiting
- An overwhelming feeling of anxiety (similar to a panic attack)
- Weakness or fatigue
- Coughing
- Wheezing
The difference between cardiac arrest and heart attack
A heart attack and cardiac arrest are similar, but not the same.
A heart attack is when the blood supply to the heart is suddenly blocked, usually by a clot.
A cardiac arrest is when the heart stops pumping blood around the body.
Both are emergencies and if you suspect you or someone else might be having either, you should call 999.
Source: NHS and British Heart Foundation