A heartbroken mum has spoken out about losing her husband unexpectedly. Lorna Thomson's last memory of her beloved James was watching him lay down on the living room floor.
James knew he was about to have a seizure and was preparing himself for the convulsions. But when his seizure was over the dad didn't wake up.
Lorna rang 999 and their autistic son ran to the front door to wait for the ambulance. James was rushed to hospital and taken straight to the intensive care unit.
39-year-old James was in a coma for two days before his organs began shutting down. He died on September 18, leaving behind Lorna and their two children Jacob, 10 and Joey, 8.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Lorna said: “I wish I had the chance to tell him how much I loved him and how he made me happy. I know it sounds daft, but to be honest, up until the day he died I thought he was going to wake up. I genuinely thought he would wake up.”
In 2021 James was diagnosed with non-epileptic seizures. These kinds of seizures are also known as dissociative seizures. They may look similar to epileptic seizures but they are not caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain.
James had suffered an estimated seven seizures before his final one at home on September 15. However, his family still don’t know how he died – and it could be up to a year before they find out the results from his post-mortem.
“The paramedics said he was in cardiac arrest,” Lorna, 40, continued. “They genuinely don’t know what happened, the last we hard it could be a congenital heart disease and it could just be a coincidence that he was having a seizure at that time.”
James had been without oxygen for around 30 minutes as paramedics fought to resuscitate him. By the time they got his heart beating again, he had been without oxygen for too long. Sadly, his young sons witnessed the whole ordeal.
“We knew he was going to die,” primary school teacher Lorna added. “The day before, doctors said there was nothing they could do for him and they were absolutely sure he was going to die because his organs started failing.
“The hospital staff were amazing. They were brilliant. They treated him with such dignity and they were fabulous with the children.
“His initial scans showed there was significant brain damage and in the middle of the night we got a phone call at 11pm saying he had taken a turn for the worse.
“He passed away with his mum and sister by his side. It was very peaceful; we turned the lights down, played his favourite music and watched him. When something like this happens, it’s so strange because I can’t imagine what it’s like to go through that with someone you know and not have that final goodbye.”
“He was an incredible person,” Lorna added. “He was very kind and generous. He had a dry sense of humour. People at work didn’t know whether he was ever joking or not.
A music lover, James is remembered as very intelligent and hard working. He taught himself how to play guitar and had a keen interest in science.
Lorna and James met while living in the same student halls at the University of Nottingham. They began dating when they were 19 and had been together for 20 years when James died.
“He was an incredible person,” Lorna added. “He was very kind and generous. He had a dry sense of humour. People at work didn’t know whether he was ever joking or not.
“We’ve always been very honest with the children and I’ve explained everything as best as I can. Jacob is trying to learn all about heart conditions and how to resuscitate people; my mum signed him up for a junior first aid course. He wants to be a paramedic when he grows up.
“Joey is really struggling with his emotions and things. They were really close. But we’re very lucky to have close family and friends – we have lots of people coming to see us and looking after us. It’s been very hard; it’s been a struggle to get them back to school and in their routines. We’re very much living one day at a time.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet that he’s gone. It really hasn’t. It’s a cliché that after the funeral, it feels real. But it’s true – the world starts turning again. You have to start putting routines into the children and he’s not a part of that.”
A Gofundme appeal has been set up to help Lorna, Jacob and Joey through this devastating time. To donate, follow the link by clicking here.
