A woman with a "beautiful heart" who would "do anything for anyone" suddenly died at the age of 49.
For the last few years Allison Lawlor was in and out of hospital as she "didn't have a working immune system" and had been diagnosed with functional neurological disorder (FND). But after going into hospital earlier this year with an infection, partner Paul Gallacher said it was "just like any other time".
Back in July of this year, Allison was receiving hospital treatment for an infection when she became forgetful. But the day before she died, she was "much better", with plans for a visit from Paul the following morning.
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She even video called her partner at 11.30pm to say goodnight, something she hadn't managed that week, and said she was "feeling much better". But just over an hour later, Paul received a devastating phone call from the hospital.
At around 1am on July 25, Paul was told Allison had "taken a bad turn" and she had passed away. Despite managing to resuscitate her, Allison had been left brain damaged. Paul told the ECHO: "The last hour I spent with her, she wasn't Allison anymore. She didn't die from the infection, she died from a pulmonary embolism. It shouldn't have happened, it was completely out of the blue."
Allison and Paul met 17 years ago on an online dating website where they "bonded immediately". Being from Woolton, she visited him in Scotland where he was living at the time, and "the rest was history".
Having lived together in Scotland for several years, the pair eventually moved to Liverpool in 2007 so Allison could be closer to her mum and sister who both had ovarian cancer at the time.
But gradually, Paul became Allison's carer when she became ill. For a few years she began to suffer from non-epileptic seizures and almost complete numbness in her body. She couldn't eat or drink or use the bathroom without help.
Around a year ago, she eventually was diagnosed with functional neurological disorder, after leaving doctors "stumped". Paul added: "I was watching a documentary series set in Liverpool hospitals a couple of years ago and it made me think that's what she had because these people had the same (FND) symptoms.
"But even when she had seizures in front of doctors they were stumped as she was fully aware while having them. I had to keep picking away to see a specialist and they had to rule out other causes such as MS before concluding she had FND. It's a long journey."
As the years went by, Allison's health gradually deteriorated and often found herself in and out of hospital. Paul, who now lives in Allerton, described his partner as a "very kind person with a beautiful heart who would do anything she could to help others".
He told the ECHO: "She was very bubbly, loved make-up and animals. We had hamsters and guinea pigs who she absolutely adored. She loved nature. When she was in a better place, we went to a lot of places, she loved visiting Llandudno and always loved going back to Scotland."
But after the funeral costs were more than Paul was able to afford, and not being eligible for financial support or any family left to help, close friend Giselle Hyams set up a fundraising page to her cover the £2,500 costs. The fundraising link can be found here.
According to the Brain Charity, the causes of FND is unknown, but common symptoms can include difficulty moving, problems balancing, tingling sensations or twitches in the body, headaches, migraines or dizziness, changes in eyesight or pain that can be hard to locate, combined with tiredness.
More information about FND can be found by clicking here.
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