If you’ve ever experienced the sudden loss of a loved one, you know how life can be turned upside down in an instant. Lisa Lee, a mother from Northumberland, UK, went through a sorrow unlike any other when her partner, Lewis Little, passed away one night in his sleep. Little did she know that the sound she mistook for snoring was actually the last breath leaving his body.
Back in 2017, Lisa and Lewis, parents of one, received the devastating news that Lewis was living with a rare heart condition called Brugada syndrome. This condition, characterized by irregular heart rhythms, posed an increased risk for Lewis. Despite being told that he would have a long, happy, and healthy life, Lewis tragically died just one year after his diagnosis at the age of 25.
Reflecting on that fateful night, Lisa said, “When we were in bed, I just thought he was snoring, so I kicked him out of the bed and told him to shut up. But I felt that the sheets were wet and knew something was wrong. I turned the lights on, and his face was purple – he wasn’t breathing. I called an ambulance, but it felt like it took forever. They pronounced him dead at the hospital. I later found out that the snoring sound was the air leaving his body.”
Believing that an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) could have saved Lewis’s life, Lisa expressed her frustration that he wasn’t considered “high risk” enough to qualify for the device. In her words, “Lewis should have had the option to have an ICD fitted, but he wasn’t ‘high risk’ enough. Things like this can’t be categorized.”
The loss of Lewis has given Lisa a profound perspective on life. She realizes now that life is short and unpredictable. Her words carry a sense of naivety she held before this tragedy struck: “It has just put everything into perspective, life is so short, and I feel like I was very naive to think that nothing like this would ever happen.”
Brugada syndrome, as per the Mirror, is a leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young, healthy individuals. It often goes undiagnosed due to the lack of visible abnormalities. Lewis’s story serves as a reminder of the importance of understanding and detecting such conditions, even in seemingly healthy individuals.
Rest in peace, Lewis Little.
