‘Perfectly healthy’ wife, 30, died suddenly in front of her husband after night out watching football
A WOMAN described as “perfectly healthy” died after a night out watching the football with her husband, an inquest heard.
Stacey Dannielle Harris and partner David enjoyed the World Cup final with friends a week before Christmas in 2022.
The couple, who had a “fantastic relationship”, had a few drinks before returning to their home in Caerau, Cardiff, with a takeaway at around 10pm.
But the court heard how a short time later, Stacey, 30, “unexpectedly started shaking and going pale”.
David immediately called 999 and started performing CPR on the advice of the call handler.
Paramedics rushed to the property, but Stacey died at around 12.40am on December 19.
Pathologists have been unable to pinpoint the exact reason for the tragedy.
The hearing was told that 10 months before her death, Stacey blacked out while brushing her teeth.
She came around quickly and did not display any other symptoms of an epileptic ‘fit’.
The former air stewardess had no relevant medical history and was described as “perfectly healthy” by the mum Pamela Tuckfield.
A coroner also heard there was no history of any allergies or anaphylaxis in her family.
Stacey’s maternal grandfather died of a heart attack, her paternal grandfather had a pacemaker fitted, and her father had a stent installed in the last few years.
Her mum was diagnosed with epilepsy in her 50s after a 12-year history of symptoms, but Stacey had no known health conditions.
Stacey worked as a cabin crew member for Flybe before becoming the manager of a local veterinary surgery.
She and husband David were childhood sweethearts who tied the knot in 2014.
Pamela said they had a “happy marriage with a fantastic relationship”.
Stacey had Covid a short time before her death and tested negative on December 17.
A toxicology report found no drugs in her system and an amount of alcohol the coroner said was not significant.
‘Frightening’
Pathologist Dr David Hywel Thomas outlined two potential causes of Stacey’s seizure – epilepsy (a common condition that affects the brain and causes frequent ‘fits’) or heart arrhythmia (an irregular, pounding or ‘fluttering’ heartbeat).
But he said he could not conclude which was “more likely on the balance of probabilities”.
Coroner Rachel Knight recorded the medical cause of death as “sudden death due to seizure of unknown etiology (medical causes) resulting in a hypoxic brain injury”.
Speaking to the family in Pontypridd, she said: “It is obvious how much you all loved and cared for her.
“It must have been a really frightening and horrifying thing to go through and I am really sorry you lost her in such a shocking way.”
