‘she said: “i’m dying, tell the kids i love them”’
A MOTHER-OF-TWO has died on holiday in Spain just minutes after enjoying a meal and drinks with her husband and two friends.
Jackie Lee, described as “irrepressible, hilarious and fizzing with energy”, suddenly fell ill just a day into their trip to Benalmádena, near Malaga.
After being sick and asking to sit down, it is thought former nurse Jackie suffered a heart attack. She was 57 when she died late last month
“We arrived on the Tuesday evening and went for a couple of drinks,” Colin recalled.
“The following day we went to the supermarket, got a few bits and bobs as it was self catering, went for a walk and then went back to the hotel to have a kip.
“Then the four of us went for a meal, followed by another drink at a bar.
“She then told me she felt a bit sick and couldn’t breathe. I thought she was having a panic attack.
“A chap came out from a restaurant and sat her down on a chair.
“She said to me, ‘I’m dying. Tell the kids I love them.’
“Within minutes of that we think she’d passed away. It was devastating.”
Jackie, from Senghenydd, was taken by ambulance to a hospital in nearby Malaga but Colin was not allowed to join her.
“I had to go back to the hotel without my wife,” he said.
“I woke up the next morning trying to come to terms with what had happened.”
Because Jackie had no holiday insurance, her family had no choice but to foot the bill for the repatriation of her body to Wales.
“Before we went to the supermarket earlier that day, Jackie told me she’d forgotten three things: tea bags, a travel plug and insurance,” added Colin, who had to stay in Spain for three days before he could get a flight home.
“Jackie always made a point of getting insurance as she had a pacemaker, but getting ready for the holiday was a little bit more rushed than normal as we only knew we were going about a week or so earlier.”
Four days after her death, the family set up a GoFundMe page in a bid to raise vital funds to bring her home – and within two days the total reached more than £10,000.
The family, who ended up needing to pay £6,000 for her repatriation, have paid tribute to the wonderful community members of the Aber Valley, Caerphilly, who donated so much to the cause.
“It’s really unbelievable how generous everyone has been,” said Colin.
The family say all the money left over will be used to set up a trust fund in Jackie’s memory for people who find themselves in similar circumstances.
The grandmother-of-two’s body was finally flown back to the UK on November 4, 11 days after Jackie’s fatal collapse.