THE heartbroken husband of a woman who died suddenly after a routine procedure in hospital has told of his grief.
Mother-of-three Karen Jones, 52, had an appointment at the Countess of Chester Hospital for an angiogram test in a bid to get to the bottom of her long-term high blood pressure.
But, while under local anaesthetic, Mrs Jones, of Rhos, Wrexham, suffered a bleed to the brain and was taken to the Walton Centre in Liverpool.
She was put on a life support machine but took a turn for the worse.
Her family made the agonising decision to switch off the machine.
In a haunting twist, receptionist Mrs Jones had predicted her death and wrote a letter to loved ones outlining her wishes for a funeral.
An inquest has been opened by the City of Liverpool coroner, André Rebello.
Mrs Jones is survived by husband Steve, 54, son Gavin, 33, and daughters Selina, 30, and Gemma, 28.
Mr Jones told the Leader: “We’re in total shock, we’re all still coming round to it.
“I had dropped her off at the hospital in the morning and went off to do some shopping.
“She sent me a text message at midday to say she had still not gone down and not to rush back, and that was the last I heard from her.
“Doctors told me she’d had a fit and had suffered a bleed on the brain. When we arrived at the Walton I was asked to go to a waiting room, and then the doctor came in and told me it was serious.
“She survived the whole of the next day but then we were told there was no hope.
“It happened that quick. I didn’t even get a chance to say a proper goodbye.”
Mr Jones, a construction site manager based in Buckley, Flintshire, met Derbyshire-born Karen when she moved to Penycae.
He said: “I was living in the Cross Foxes pub and she would come over to fed the horses. We had been married for 34 years.
“Karen was a bubby person who doted on her children and grandchildren.
“She loved cooking and going on holidays, especially to our static caravan on the coast.”
Mrs Jones, who worked as a receptionist in the audiology department at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, wrote a letter to her husband and children should the worst happen.
Mr Jones said: “She was always one to predict things, and usually she was right.
“The letter said: ‘If you’re reading this then things have gone wrong.’
“She said she didn’t want a fuss at her funeral, and even chose her own songs – Songbird and Over The Rainbow, by Eva Cassidy, and Jealous Of The Angels, by Jenn Bostic. I’ve read the letter a hundred times now.”
Colleagues of Mrs Jones, who also had a grand-daughter Regan, eight, grandson Gethin, two, and newborn Zachary, have also paid their respects.
A spokesman for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board said: “Karen was a much valued and respected member of the audiology team here at Wrexham.
“She worked tirelessly on the front desk for five and a half years. Karen always had a smile for patients and staff no matter how busy she was.
“Karen was not just a colleague, she was a friend and would always help in anyway she could. Her caring nature was there for all to see.
“She will be sorely missed by us all here at audiology.”
Coroner Mr Rebello said the cause of her death on February 7 is withheld pending histology results.
l Mrs Jones’ funeral will be held on Monday at Pentrebychan Crematorium at 1.30pm.
Donations in her memory will be donated to Nightingale House Hospice.