Widow of ‘brilliant’ dad-of-two cop, 36, who died on brother’s stag do sobs ‘I don’t want anyone else to suffer’
THE widow of a "brilliant" 36-year-old cop who suddenly died on his brother's stag do is desperate to ensure that no one else suffers like she has.
PC James Cannon, a father of two from St Neots in Cambridgeshire, was at a Madness concert in Birmingham celebrating his brother Matthew's approaching nuptials when he began to feel unwell.
He returned to his hotel to rest, where he rang his wife Llian, telling her he would try to get some sleep and would be home in the morning.
But later that night he was rushed to hospital with chest pains, reports. When Llian next saw him, doctors were battling to save his life - in vain.
'BRILLIANT DAD'
The Bedfordshire officer's death was caused by a ruptured dissecting aortic aneurysm - a condition he and his wife had been completely unaware of.
Llian, 34, has paid tribute to her late husband, calling him "a brilliant dad, husband and great police officer", who adored their sons, Freddie, six, and Stanley, three.
She is now hoping to raise awareness of the condition - which when detected has a survival rate of 70 per cent.
Being treated "in time"; was critical, she said, after the tragedy on December 16 last year.
"I just don't want anyone else to suffer like I am," she said. "I just want to do what I can."
Llian said the stag do wasn't a drunken night out, as the stag himself didn't drink. The group had gone out for a meal before the concert, which is when James started to feel ill.
What is an aortic dissection?
- The condition involves a tear in the inner layer of the aorta.
- Blood therefore surges through, causing the inner and middle layers of the aorta to separate, or dissect.
- If this channel then ruptures through the outer wall, this can prove fatal.
- Symptoms can be similar to those of other heart problems. They include sudden severe chest pain, sudden severe abdominal pain, shortness of breath and difficulty walking.
- Men are twice as likely to be affected.
- The likelihood peaks in the 60s and 80s.
- Certain genetic diseases can increase the risk of having an aortic dissection.
- The condition can only be diagnosed through a CT scan. Detected early, patients have around 70 per cent chance of survival.
MOST READ NEWS
The illness involves a tear in the aorta, the body's largest artery, that transports blood from the heart to the brain and vital organs.
Catherine Fowler, vice-chair of Aortic Dissection Awareness, said: "This is a treatable condition which, when detected and treated appropriately, has a survival rate of 70%.
"No innovation required - just education to 'think aorta' and rapid access to a CT scan, then transfer for treatment."
