Mum hospitalised with 'broken heart syndrome' after son's suicide

Mum hospitalised with 'broken heart syndrome' after son's suicideDoctors told her she was suffering from the effects of grief caused by a broken heartCommentsNewsNeil Shaw Assistant Editor (Money and Lifestyle)07:53, 20 Apr 2026View 6 ImagesDawn Turner, mother of the late soldier Rob Homans, called 999 after she woke with an 'unbearable' pain in her chestA mum who thought she was having a heart attack was left hospitalised with 'broken heart syndrome' - months after her soldier son took his own life. Dawn Turner, 57, tragically lost her son Rob Homans, a bombardier with the Royal Horse Artillery, on August 22 last year.‌The mum-of-three woke on March 27 with 'unbearable' chest pains and called an ambulance, worried she was going into cardiac arrest. But when she arrived at Worcestershire Royal Hospital medics told her she was in fact suffering from the effects of grief caused by a broken heart.‌The phenomenon, known as takotsubo syndrome is a temporary, reversible heart condition often triggered by extreme emotional or physical stress, such as grief, fear, or severe illness. Symptoms usually mimic a heart attack, with sudden severe chest pain and shortness of breath being the most common - it primarily affects women over 50.‌View 6 ImagesRob Homans and Dawn TurnerDawn, who lives in Eckington, Worcs., said: “I was sat downstairs earlier that night and thought I had a bit of indigestion. I went to bed and just couldn’t get comfortable, I was breaking out in a sweat and had heart palpitations. Then at around midnight I had pain down my arm and in my jaw. I was still putting it down to indigestion.‌"I got up to get some Gaviscon and I couldn’t get the lid off. My partner Paul asked me if I was alright and I said ‘I think I'm having a heart attack’. I could not catch my breath, and my heart felt as though it was missing a beat and then thudding in again. For those moments, I truly believed I was having a heart attack...