Grieving mom hospitalized with rare ‘broken heart syndrome’ after veteran son’s suicide

A distraught mother who thought she was having a heart attack was alternatively hospitalized pinch surgery bosom syndrome — different known arsenic takotsubo syndrome (TTS) — little than a twelvemonth aft her seasoned boy tragically took his ain life.

Dawn Turner, 57, of nan U.K., mislaid her boy successful August of past year. 

Just past month, nan mom of 3 awoke pinch "unbearable" chest pains, she said — and called an ambulance, worried she was going into cardiac arrest. But erstwhile she arrived astatine nan hospital, doctors told her she was suffering from nan effects of condolences caused by a surgery heart, arsenic news agency SWNS reported. 

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TTS is simply a temporary, reversible bosom information often triggered by utmost affectional aliases beingness stress, specified arsenic grief, fearfulness aliases terrible illness, according to experts.

Symptoms usually mimic a bosom attack, pinch abrupt and terrible thorax symptom and shortness of breath nan astir communal — and it chiefly affects women complete nan property of 50.

A mom whose worker boy took his ain life feared she was suffering cardiac apprehension — only to beryllium told by infirmary doctors that she was emotion nan effects of condolences caused by a surgery heart. Dawn Turner, mother of deceased worker Rob Homans, is pictured above, April 2026.  (SWNS)

Turner, of Eckington successful Worcester, said, "I was [sitting] downstairs earlier that nighttime and thought I had a bit of indigestion. I went to furniture and conscionable couldn’t get comfortable — I was breaking retired successful a sweat and had bosom palpitations.

"Then, astir midnight, I had symptom down my limb and successful my jaw. I was still putting it down to indigestion ... My partner Paul asked maine if I was each right, and I said, ‘I deliberation I'm having a bosom attack.'"

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She said she couldn't drawback her activity — "and my bosom felt arsenic though it was missing a hit and past [started] thudding again. For those moments, I genuinely believed I was having a bosom attack."

"Your bosom is each complete nan spot — there’s an other beat," Turner was told. 

She said her partner called emergency services, and an ambulance arrived wrong 5 minutes.

"They came successful and linked maine up to an ECG. They said, ‘Your bosom is each complete nan spot — there’s an other beat, and it’s each complete nan place,’" she said, arsenic SWNS reported. 

Turner was rushed to nan infirmary by ambulance.

Turner is shown pinch her boy successful afloat dress uniform. He worked arsenic an artilleryman and spent 10 years successful nan U.K.'s Royal Horse Artillery aft joining successful 2006. He was battling intelligence wellness challenges aft his subject service, and yet took his ain life. (SWNS)

In emergency care, Turner was besides fixed humor tests.

She added, "They came backmost and said I didn’t person nan enzymes produced from a bosom onslaught successful my blood. But they said location [was] thing going on."

After undergoing much tests and seeing a cardiologist, Turner was told she had takotsubo syndrome.

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"I told [the doctor] that my bosom feels broken. I told her astir [my son] Rob, and she said it’s precisely that. She said it’s a existent thing, and that I'd been nether truthful overmuch stress. The assemblage tin only return truthful much, and the condolences and nan stress tin beryllium rather physical."

Turner's boy committed termination successful August 2025 aft struggling to get thief pinch his mental health.

He spent 10 years successful nan Royal Horse Artillery aft joining successful 2006, erstwhile he worked arsenic an artilleryman.

Turner's boy did 2 tours of work successful Afghanistan, she said. After he returned to civilian life, he began suffering from a number of wellness conditions. She's shown supra pinch a flower-draped memorial to her son. (SWNS)

He did 2 tours of work in Afghanistan, she said, and returned to civilian life successful 2016 earlier suffering respective worsening wellness conditions.

Turner, who is besides nan CEO of a veterans charity called Stepway, "When he near nan army, he sewage married, and they settled down successful London. He walked consecutive into a occupation arsenic a transportation driver. But past his wellness took a downward spiral, and he started having digestive troubles."

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He was yet told he had PTSD — but those symptoms whitethorn beryllium akin to those of mild traumatic encephalon injury, Turner said.

"He was deaf successful 1 receptor from utilizing nan guns," she said. "He realized he was putting truthful overmuch unit connected his marriage, truthful he moved backmost up pinch me. He started to build himself up — then COVID hit."

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Turner said location were unfortunate delays arsenic her boy tried to get entree to various services and facilities.

"When group suffer loved ones, you’re evidently distraught, but you yet find closure," she said, per SWNS. "I recovered bid erstwhile I mislaid my sister successful 2015. But pinch Rob, I can't find closure because there’s nary justness there."

"I had ne'er really understood that a personification could go truthful overwhelmed by accent and condolences that it physically affects nan heart," said nan grieving mom. "Broken bosom syndrome tin look and consciousness for illustration a bosom attack." (iStock)

Turner is now connected nan mend and hopes to beryllium afloat recovered successful a mates of weeks, SWNS reported. 

"Until that moment, I had ne'er really understood that a personification could go truthful overwhelmed by accent and condolences that it physically affects nan heart," she shared. "Broken bosom syndrome tin look and consciousness for illustration a bosom attack. It was a informing motion for me, and for anyone. It tin alteration nan style of 1 of your bosom chambers … it tin origin immoderate serious damage."

She added, "The cardiologist told maine that thankfully, my bosom itself is patient and location was nary damage, but that it will return astir 2 weeks to a period for my bosom to reboot itself."

"Maybe nan other [heart]beat is for Rob. You are carrying connected surviving for him," her partner told her. 

Turner was told she needed to rest, activity counseling and make lifestyle changes to trim stress.

"Things person settled down, and I’m taking things easy — I’m pacing myself now, and I consciousness a batch better. Paul said, 'Maybe nan other hit is for Rob. You are carrying connected surviving for him.'"

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Turner said, "That collapsed maine and healed maine a small spot each astatine once."

Fox News Digital antecedently reported that surgery bosom syndrome, which causes nan bosom to temporarily weaken, has been linked to nan brain’s guidance to stress, arsenic studies person found. 

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In an article published successful nan European Heart Journal in March 2019, Swiss researchers said they recovered that nan syndrome is linked to nan measurement nan encephalon communicates pinch nan heart.

Broken bosom syndrome, which causes nan bosom to temporarily weaken, has been linked to nan brain’s guidance to stress, studies person found.  (iStock)

Caused by aggravated affectional events, TTS is simply a rare, impermanent information that weakens the left ventricle and disrupts its normal pumping function.

The syndrome causes nan heart's main pumping enclosure to alteration style and get larger. The bosom musculus becomes weaker, and its pumping action loses strength. 

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Symptoms see sudden, aggravated thorax pain, unit aliases heaviness successful nan chest, on pinch shortness of breath. 

It is treated pinch beta blockers and blood-thinning medicine to trim risks of clots and different flareups.