A “generous and fun-loving” ambulance worker died of a drugs overdose after struggling to cope with the death of her son.
Vicky Morewood, 52, had been in the ambulance service for 25 years and was well known in her home town of Goole as a musician and singer on the local folk scene.
She suffered from a number of health issues, including problems sleeping, a heart problem and endometriosis , as well as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression.
The death of her son in 2018 really hit her hard and she struggled to come to terms with the loss of someone she had doted on, reports Hull Live.
On September 26 last year, Vicky's husband found her drifting in and out of consciousness at their home after she had taken a number of pills. Despite giving her CPR and treatment continuing at hospital, she died a short time later.
In a statement Vicky’s husband paid an emotional tribute to her. “Vicky was strong but fragile at times due to what she had seen in her job. She was bubbly and absolutely hilarious.
“She was also caring and generous and would help anyone. She was also fun-loving and participated in sidecar racing as a passenger. She was also a talented musician who could sing and play guitar and was involved in the folk scene.
“Vicky was dedicated and loving and was always there to give advice even if she was not so good at taking it. She was wonderful and will be very much missed.”
The couple met on a dating website around 12 years ago and became friends before embarking on a romantic relationships. They got married in 2015.
She had a son from a previous marriage who she had doted on, but her husband said they grew apart when her son met his partner.
Her husband said: “She and her son were inseparable but that changed when he met his partner. I felt the partner was jealous of the relationship between Vicky and her son.
“Vicky decided to back away and that was not an easy decision for her. Her son and partner had a daughter but Vicky rarely got to see her and it complicated the situation.
“She worked for the ambulance services and had done for 25 years and she loved her job. But she struggled with her mental health as a result of PTSD which seemed to be an accumulation of things including what she had seen in the job.
“When she realised she was suffering she saw a doctor. She sought help off her own back and she was prescribed medication.”
Vicky’s life fell apart when she received devastating news. In his statement her husband said: “In November 2018 I got a phone call from Vicky telling me her son had hanged himself. She was totally broken.
“Over time she seemed to accept these things can happen but I could see she was struggling. She was completely lost and there was a big empty space in her life and nothing was going to fill it.
“There were delays with her son’s inquest which upset her as she thought it might give her some closure. I know she had made one attempt on her life before we met but there had not been anything until her son died. But she made three attempts afterwards.
“She was referred to the mental health team. She started to improve and she began talking about future plans. She even spoke about booking a holiday, perhaps a cruise. She started working on broadening her horizons and working on improving her confidence.”
Vicky eventually felt strong enough to begin clearing her son’s room. This is something she had been putting off for some time but it seemed to have a deep impact on her.
Her husband said: “She did get upset a couple of times and I decided we should stop after a couple of hours. She suggested we go out for a drink that night.
“It was her local so she talked to lots of people. She was bouncing around in the pub and she seemed like her old self. It was nice to see.
“We were both quite drunk and, when we got back home, she decided to lie down on the sofa while I got some food. When I came back after about 20 minutes she was on the phone to a friend and I think I heard her say she had done something stupid. Suddenly she was drifting in and out of consciousness and I phoned 999.”
Vicky stopped breathing and her husband gave her CPR until the paramedics arrived. She was taken to Doncaster Royal Infirmary but she died a short time later.
Her husband said: “I like to think the funeral was the perfect send off for a wonderful woman and there was a guard of honour by the ambulance crews which I know she would have loved.”
A post-mortem found Vicky had died of cardiorespiratory failure due to taking a combination of antidepressants and sleeping pills.
Vicky’s social worker Christina Brown said in a statement that they met up regularly, but she had cancelled an appointment
In a statement she said: “There were concerns about Vicky’s mental health after the death of her son. She struggled to cope. As an ambulance worker she somehow felt guilty that she was not able to save him.
“Her mental health was also affected by her physical problems and she referred herself to the mental health tam after attempting to take her own life.
“She took steps to try and return to work but retired on grounds of ill health. She seemed unable to see a future without her son.
"But she took on hobbies, such as sewing, gardening and baking. She even made face masks for family and friends during the pandemic.
“She said she did not know how long she could go on for. But she started to improve and there was evidence of forward planning.
“We met up in August last year for a coffee and she appeared relaxed but was bracing herself for her son’s birthday. She cancelled her appointment on September 23 as she felt tired. But it was a massive shock to me when I heard about her death a few days later. She was doing well and seemed to have turned a corner.
“It was a privilege to know her and my condolences go out to her family and friends.”
Senior coroner Professor Paul Marks made it clear the treatment and care Vicky received from medical and mental health professionals was appropriate.
In delivering an ‘open’ conclusion Prof Marks said: “This is a case where I am not satisfied her intention was to take her own life.
"Firstly, she was drunk at the time and the call she made to her friend maybe indicative of an accidental overdose. A conclusion of suicide is not appropriate.”
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