Leek Post & Times

Man wakes on New Year’s Day to find girlfriend had died in the night

-

A BOYFRIEND has told of the devastatin­g moment he woke up on New Year’s Day to find his partner had died in the night.

Ryan Done and Lisa Bostock had shared a couple of cans of cider and blackcurra­nt to bring in 2021 before going to bed at their home in Leek.

But when he got up the next day he found that Lisa, aged 40, wasn’t breathing.

An ambulance was called to the scene in Mill Street at just after 8am on January 1 but nothing could be done to save her.

An inquest into Lisa’s death heard she had suffered from fatty liver disease due to alcohol abuse.

In a statement read out at the hearing, Ryan said: “I was at home with Lisa. She was absolutely fine and we had both consumed a couple of glasses of cider.

“We fell asleep not long after midnight.”

“I began doing chest compressio­ns. The paramedics arrived shortly after and told me Lisa had passed away.

“We occasional­ly used heroin, once a month. Lisa and I are alcohol dependent.”

The inquest heard that former Painsley Catholic College student Lisa had a history of substance abuse problems, including alcohol and heroin.

She also suffered from anxiety and depression and had been known to have misused her medication on previous occasions.

At the time of her death she was receiving a prescripti­on for methadone.

In text messages found by police on her phone sent three weeks prior to her death, she confided that she was “scared of dying”.

A post-mortem examinatio­n found that Lisa had used numerous drugs, and it was likely the combinatio­n that proved fatal.

Assistant coroner Sarah Murphy said: “The deceased was found unresponsi­ve in bed by a partner.

She was a known heroin user and alcoholic.

“I am satisfied that the overdose of the multi-drug toxicity was not a deliberate overdose.

“I would like to extend the condolence­s of the court to the family of Lisa for her tragic and untimely death.”

Need help?

The Samaritans: 116 123. Website: www.samaritans.org. Email: jo@samaritans.org. Offer a 24-hour confidenti­al helpline. You can also contact them by text or email.

Men Unite: A local group addressing the rising problem of suicide among men. If you would like to join the Men Unite Facebook group click here.

NHS 111 Service: 111. Website: www.nhs.uk. Call the NHS 111 service if you urgently require medical help or advice. The service is availabe 24-hours-aday, 365-days-a-year. Calls are free from landlines and mobile phones.

Mental Health Access Team: 0300 123 0907. The single point of contact and access for all

North Staffordsh­ire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust services. The Access Team provides

24/7 cover for all mental health and learning disability services across Stoke-on-trent and North Staffordsh­ire.

Mind Infoline: 0300 123 3393. Website: www.mind.org.uk. Email: info@mind.org.uk. Text: 86463. Informatio­n on a range of mental health problems and support. Lines are open 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (except for bank holidays).

HOPELINEUK: 0800 068

41 41. A specialist telephone service staffed by trained profession­als at PAPYRUS who give non-judgementa­l support, practical advice and informatio­n to children, teenagers, young adults aged up to 35 and anyone concerned about a young person. Opening hours are 10am to

10pm, Mondays to Fridays, 2pm to 5pm, weekends and bank holidays.

NSPCC Childline: 0800 1111. Website: www.childline.org.uk. Children’s charity offering support and carrying out research into mental illness.

SANE: 0845 767 8000. Website: www.sane.org.uk. Email: sanemail@sane.org.uk. Outof-hours mental health helpline offering specialist emotional support and informatio­n to anyone affected by mental illness, including family, friends and carers. Open every day from 6pm to 11pm.

Staffordsh­ire Mental Health Helpline: 0808 800 2234. Email: staffordsh­ire.helpline@brighterfu­tures.org.uk. Text: 07860 022821.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom