My husband saved my life when I went through terrifying diagnosis – months later I listened as he died over the phone

WHEN Particia Bartlett woke to a loving text from her husband in her hospital bed, she immediately rang him back. But tragically, the 44-year-old mum never got to speak to him. Instead, she had to listen to her husband of just 18 months take his last breaths over the phone, while she was in another country. Particia Bartlett was in hospital in Gran Canaria when she got the call about husband Stuart Credit: Bauer Media Stuart suffered a cardiac arrest as a result of ischemic heart disease with cardiac hypertrophy Credit: Bauer Media Arsenal fan Stuart lived in Lanzarote with his wife Particia, originally from Swadlingcote, Derbyshire, who he met in July 2018. They started a long-distance relationship, with Stuart frequently flying home to Littlehampton, West Sussex, until he proposed in April 2019 – and made the leap abroad himself. Sign up for the Fabulous newsletter Thank you! Stuart moved in with Patricia and her adult kids, and they started planning their wedding for the two-year anniversary of their first date. She says: “We set up a business together, delivering products to bars. But when the pandemic hit, our wedding dreams were put on hold.” Particia and Stuart met in 2018 and had a long-distance relationship, before marrying in 2023 Credit: Bauer Media Particia believes Stuart might have survived had a defibrillator been available Credit: Bauer Media In September 2023, they finally made it down the aisle, and settled into a happy family life. Patricia’s kids grew up and moved out, while she opened a successful nail salon. Then in May 2024, she was at work when she started to experience awful tummy ache and nausea. She recalls: “The pain became so intense I had to close early. Back home, Stuart took me to hospital where a scan was carried out.” Most read in Fabulous She was diagnosed with a blocked bowel and sent home with medication to “flush it out”, but within an hour had deteriorated further and started vomiting. A concerned Stuart called an ambulance, but Patricia was once again sent home with medication. For a week, she was bedbound, unable to eat and struggling to use the toilet. Patricia recalls: “Stuart said, ‘I’m not having my wife suffer like this.’ We went to a private hospital, and doctors discovered that I had a perforated bowel. “A doctor told Stuart, ‘If you hadn’t brought her in, I don’t think she would have made it through the next 24 hours.’ My husband had saved my life.” Patricia had an emergency operation and was fitted with a colostomy bag. She says: “Stuart was sitting by my side, his hand in mine. ‘You should leave me,’ I cried. ‘This isn’t sexy, you don’t want to be with me like this.’ ‘You’re my wife,’ he said. ‘And you’re beautiful’.” After six days in ICU, she was able to go home. Then, in March 2025, she decided to have another operation to remove the bag, in Gran Canaria. It was another gruelling five-hour op. “When I woke, Stuart was there by my side. ‘You did it,’ he said, smiling,” she recalls. “The operation had overrun so he didn’t have long before he had to dash to the airport and fly home to run our businesses. Before he left, he kissed me on the forehead. ‘Get some rest, Kinnins,’ he said, using the nickname he’d given me. I felt safe and happy. “The next day, I woke to find he’d sent a message. It read, ‘You are brave and strong, and I’m proud of you.’ I tried to call, but his phone went to voicemail. I assumed he was busy, and tried again later. Still, there was no answer so I left a message. “But something didn’t feel right. Stuart should have finished work, so there was no reason for him not to call me back. “Then, a number I didn’t recognise flashed up on my screen. It was one of our customers. ‘Patricia, I’m so sorry, but Stuart has collapsed,’ he said. ‘They’re working on him now.’ “I was gripped by panic, but all I could do was stay on the phone and listen to the commotion in the background. Why does cardiac arrest occur? A cardiac arrest is when your heart suddenly stops pumping blood around your body. It is caused by a dangerous abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia), which happens when the electrical system in the heart isn’t working properly, the British Heart Foundation says. “Not all abnormal heart rhythms are life-threatening, but some mean that the heart cannot pump blood around the body,” the charity explains. Ventricular fibrillation (VF) is an example of a dangerous heart rhythm that can lead to a cardiac arrest. This is when the heart quivers or ‘fibrillates’ instead of pumps. Some conditions can cause abnormal heart rhythms and in turn, a cardiac arrest if they’re severe or left untreated: cardiomyopathies (disease of the heart muscle) and inherited heart conditions which affect the electrical system of the heart, such as Brugada syndrome congenital heart disease – a heart condition or defect you get before you’re born heart valve disease – when one or more of your heart valves don’t work properly severe or untreated myocarditis – inflammation of the heart muscle. Other causes of cardiac arrest include a heart attack, a severe haemorrhage (losing a large amount of blood), a drop in oxygen levels or a drug overdose. Source: British Heart Foundation “After 45 minutes, the paramedics had to stop. I hung up in disbelief, struggling to catch my breath. “Stuart had been worried about my operation, but now, he was dead. “As panic coursed through me, a nurse slipped a pill under my tongue to calm me down.” Unable to leave the hospital yet, Patricia’s daughter flew to join her there instead. Ten days later, Stuart’s funeral was held in Lanzarote, in front of a packed church. Patricia says: “The grief is still so raw. I miss the sound of his laughter, and feel so lonely when I sit with my morning coffee. “A postmortem revealed that Stuart suffered a cardiac arrest as a result of ischemic heart disease with cardiac hypertrophy. “He’d collapsed while doing deliveries to our customers, and had a defibrillator been available, he might have survived. “In his memory, I’ve set up a fundraiser called Stuart’s Prevention Plan to purchase defibrillators to be installed in the local area, and provide CPR training. “I can’t bring Stuart back, but I can help others, so they don’t have to suffer the pain and sadness I live with every day.” Support Patricia’s fundraising here. Comment now