Wrexham mum wins Mother's Day competition - surviving against the odds from a 'broken heart'

Eagles Meadow shopping centre in Wrexham joined forces with the Leader to find a deserving mum, in a competition run to celebrate this year's Mother's Day.

People were urged to write in and explain why their mum should win a £350 prize package, including a beautiful heart shaped pendant from the renowned Welsh gold, family-run jewellery business Clogau, kindly donated by Mococo, in Eagles Meadow.

Lucy-May Jones with her mum Suzanne Jones. Photo: Mandy Jones

It also included a meal for a family of four at Frankie & Benny's, family ticket for four at Odeon for a film of your choice, two mini-sets of fragrance favourite Thierry Mugler in popular Alien and Angel scents from Debenhams and a beautiful bouquet of flowers from Marks & Spencer.

The winning entry came from Lucy-May Jones, a 21-year-old Wrexham Maelor Hospital admin worker from Summerhill.

Lucy-May nominated her 'unique and kind-hearted' mum Suzanne Jones, whose 'determination, bravery and always wanting to care for others before herself' had spurred them all to get through the darkest of family times.

Suzanne, 51, was struck down with the a severe case of the condition known as broken heart syndrome or takotsubo cardiomyopathy on the eve of her father Baden's funeral, after she had given up her job to become a full-time carer to him and her elderly mother Betty, now 88.

Her much-loved dad, a former British Steel worker, had passed away on Suzanne's 48th birthday after she had devoted herself to looking after him when he fell ill from kidney problems associated with a long battle with prostate cancer.

On the day of his funeral, Suzanne felt unwell with flu like symptoms and started to experience chest pain, which she reassured family was down to the emotional stress and anxiety of the day.

In many ways, she was correct, but neither her nor any of her close-knit family could have predicted the emotionally draining and terrifying journey which lay ahead of them.

It resulted in Suzanne being in an induced coma for three months, losing her leg and surviving a number of emergency operations as medics fought tirelessly to save her life.

Broken heart syndrome causes the left ventricle of a person's heart to change shape and get larger. This weakens the heart muscle and means it doesn't pump blood as well as it should.

The word 'takotsubo' originates from the name for a Japanese octopus trap, as the left ventricle of the heart changes into a similar shape as the trap - developing a narrow neck and a round bottom.

It can develop at any age, but typically affects more women than men, and while it's not known exactly what causes it, it's often brought on by emotional or physical distress, such as bereavement, financial worries, acute illness or being involved in a disaster such as an earthquake.

Now, as Suzanne battles on stoically with her recovery from the condition and adjusts to life with a disability, Lucy-May told of how it is often her mum who is rallying her loved ones as they all come to terms with the trauma of what has happened.

She said: "My mum's determination and strength has been a complete inspiration to everyone around her. It would have been so easy for her to have given up when she woke up after those months, to find she had lost her leg and her life had changed forever.

"But she's amazing. She has always put everybody first, and even now, after everything she has been through, she still never fails to put a smile on her face and do everything she can to help and support us."

First admitted into intensive care at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, a consultant suspected Suzanne had the syndrome and she was transferred to Wythenshawe Hospital in South Manchester which specialises in cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery.

There she was hooked up to a mechanical heart, known as an Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine which temporarily took over the work of Suzanne's heart so it could rest and mend while doctors and nursing staff fought to save her life over the coming months.

Lucy-May, her brother Adam, 26, her father Darren, and her nana, Darren's mother, Pauline Jones, put their lives on hold and moved into a bungalow close to the hospital, provided for them by the British Heart Foundation charity.

Lucy-May said: "There were so many times when we were told to prepare for the worst. There were so many times when the doctors just could not believe she kept going and I think her determination just gave us all hope.

"Through one of the procedures she had to have, a blood clot formed in her leg which they managed to remove but a week or so later, her leg just went black and blue. The circulation was just lost and we had the devastating news that it would have to be amputated.

"My mum always wants to be up and about doing things for people so we knew this would be devastating for her but there was no choice.

"At one point, the same problem was happening with her hands and we would take it in turns to stay with her all day and night to keep rubbing her hands and keep the circulation going because we couldn't bear for her to lose those too. Thankfully, she didn't."

Lucy-May, a former pupil of Ysgol Plas Coch and Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, added: "I am still struggling to come to terms with what has happened. It was devastating for us all but it's always my mum who is there for me now, encouraging me not to let it bring me down, to carry on and be thankful that we all made it through together.

"Her determination to keep going at the time gave us all so much hope and that has taught me that whatever happens, you just have to support one another and carry on with life."

Suzanne, who is still in touch with colleagues at Marks & Spencer in Eagles Meadow where she worked before caring for her father, said: "I could not believe it when Lucy told me I had won the competition.

"With everything that had happened and is now going on, it's been such a lovely piece of news for my family which has given us all such a lift.

"At times, it has been very, very hard and there are moments where I feel like I am struggling a bit but at the end of the day, I am here and I am very, very grateful for that."

Oana Mocanasu, Eagles Meadow marketing manager, who organised the competition, said: "Suzanne is such a worthy winner of our Mother's Day competition and it has brought us all joy, during these very challenging times, to help her daughter Lucy-May to recognise her in this way.

"We had some really beautiful entries from people about some super, special mums, who all deserved the prizes but the touching words from Lucy-May stood out.

"Suzanne has faced the most awful of physical and emotional battles, but this has not, for one minute, stopped her from always putting her loved ones first, and as she continues to recover from what has happened, she is always there to support them.

"The love and attentive care Suzanne's family showed her during her time in hospital reflects the strength of their family and after everything they have all been through, we thought this was a very deserving entry to win.

"I would like to thank all those loving people who took the time to enter the special motherly figures in their lives. Please do let them know that you took the time to do this and that it was clear to us from reading them that there are many wonderful mums looking after their families and making sure they feel loved and supported."

Suzanne said: "My daughter is a very sweet and caring girl and it has been thanks to her and the love and support of my friends, family, and my mum Betty which has helped get us all through.

"We will continue together to put this all behind us and winning the competition has brought us all on a positive step in what has been a very difficult journey."