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

A distraught parent who thought she was having a bosom onslaught was alternatively hospitalized with breached bosom syndrome — different known arsenic takotsubo syndrome (TTS) — little than a twelvemonth aft her seasoned lad tragically took his ain life.

Dawn Turner, 57, of the U.K., mislaid her lad successful August of past year. 

Just past month, the ma of 3 awoke with "unbearable" thorax pains, she said — and called an ambulance, disquieted she was going into cardiac arrest. But erstwhile she arrived astatine the hospital, doctors told her she was suffering from the effects of grief caused by a breached heart, arsenic quality bureau SWNS reported. 

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

Symptoms usually mimic a bosom attack, with abrupt and terrible thorax symptom and shortness of enactment the astir communal — and it chiefly affects women implicit the property of 50.

A ma whose worker lad took his ain beingness feared she was suffering cardiac apprehension — lone to beryllium told by infirmary doctors that she was feeling the effects of grief caused by a breached heart. Dawn Turner, parent 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 spot of indigestion. I went to furniture and conscionable couldn’t get comfy — 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 inactive putting it down to indigestion ... My spouse 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 enactment — "and my bosom felt arsenic though it was missing a bushed and past [started] thudding again. For those moments, I genuinely believed I was having a bosom attack."

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

She said her spouse called exigency services, and an ambulance arrived wrong 5 minutes.

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

Turner was rushed to the infirmary by ambulance.

Turner is shown with her lad successful afloat formal uniform. He worked arsenic an artilleryman and spent 10 years successful the 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 exigency care, Turner was besides fixed humor tests.

She added, "They came backmost and said I didn’t person the enzymes produced from a bosom onslaught successful my blood. But they said determination [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 lone instrumentality truthful much, and the grief and the accent tin beryllium rather physical."

Turner's lad committed termination successful August 2025 aft struggling to get assistance with his intelligence health.

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

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

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

Turner, who is besides the CEO of a veterans foundation called Stepway, "When helium near the army, helium got 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 helium started having digestive troubles."

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He was yet told helium 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 the guns," she said. "He realized helium was putting truthful overmuch unit connected his marriage, truthful helium moved backmost up with me. He started to physique himself up — past COVID hit."

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Turner said determination were unfortunate delays arsenic her lad tried to get entree to assorted services and facilities.

"When radical 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 with Rob, I can't find closure due to the fact that there’s nary justness there."

"I had ne'er truly understood that a idiosyncratic could go truthful overwhelmed by accent and grief that it physically affects the heart," said the grieving mom. "Broken bosom syndrome tin look and consciousness similar a bosom attack." (iStock)

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

"Until that moment, I had ne'er truly understood that a idiosyncratic could go truthful overwhelmed by accent and grief that it physically affects the heart," she shared. "Broken bosom syndrome tin look and consciousness similar a bosom attack. It was a informing motion for me, and for anyone. It tin alteration the signifier of 1 of your bosom chambers … it tin origin immoderate superior damage."

She added, "The cardiologist told maine that thankfully, my bosom itself is steadfast and determination was nary damage, but that it volition instrumentality astir 2 weeks to a period for my bosom to reboot itself."

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

Turner was told she needed to rest, question counseling and marque manner changes to trim stress.

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

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

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

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In an nonfiction published successful the European Heart Journal in March 2019, Swiss researchers said they recovered that the syndrome is linked to the mode the encephalon communicates with the heart.

Broken bosom syndrome, which causes the bosom to temporarily weaken, has been linked to the brain’s absorption 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 mean pumping function.

The syndrome causes the heart's main pumping enclosure to alteration signifier and get larger. The bosom musculus becomes weaker, and its pumping enactment loses strength. 

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Symptoms see sudden, aggravated thorax pain, unit oregon heaviness successful the chest, on with shortness of breath. 

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