FAMILY’S WORLD TORN APART Heart transplant saved me from certain death... then my fiancée died 48 hours before wedding
DEVOTED mum Amy Watts was laid to rest in the wedding dress she never got to wear as a bride – because she died just 48 hours before the ceremony.
Amy passed away the day after Mother’s Day, with loving partner Sam Rudland holding her hand.
He was only there by a miracle himself – after a heart transplant and CPR saved his life.
Today, Sam reveals the agony of losing Amy after a rollercoaster of fortunes and emotions. For each time Sam’s health seemed to be on the up, Amy’s would dip – and vice versa.
And at the forefront of everything was their precious six-year-old daughter Esmee, who has shown courage and love in abundance.
When a teacher asked her to compose a prayer, Esmee wrote: “Please God, make my Mummy better.”
And as Sam, 42, was still grieving that Amy had died without fulfilling her wedding dream, Esmee told him: “I’ll marry you, Daddy.”
Sam, who was born with a rare condition and told by doctors he’d never make it past 35, says: “Amy was
Esmee has come so close to losing both of her parents it doesn’t bear thinking about
SAM RUDLAND DAD ON WATCHING HIS DAUGHTER COPE WITH FAMILY TRAUMA
an incredible mum to Esmee, who is the most precious, amazing little girl.
“Amy so badly wanted to be a mum, then had it snatched away.
“We probably had two good years together which weren’t plagued by illness. They were as close to perfect as you could expect.
“Esmee has wonderful memories of Amy, but I worry they’ll fade. She’s come so close to losing both parents, it doesn’t bear thinking about.”
Systems engineer Sam had met psychologist Amy on a dating app in 2012. At the outset, he told her he had been diagnosed at 18 with Friedreich’s ataxia – a condition affecting just one in 50,000 Brits which causes a thickening of the heart muscle.
Sam says: “I explained that I might not always be there but remained optimistic about the future. I think it rubbed off on Amy.
“We had the same sense of humour, outlook on life and values. We both really wanted a family and wouldn’t let my condition stop us.”
Esmee was born in 2013 after Sam moved from Cardiff to Bristol to be with Amy. Things were blissful and at the end of 2014 Sam proposed over a candelit dinner. But because of his condition they delayed naming the day. Over the years, Sam endured numerous hospital trips for his heart to be restarted. He explains: “In 2015, I was fitted with a cardioverter defibrillator to regulate my heartbeat. Amy paced the corridors while doctors fixed me up. She did this all while trying to keep things normal for Esmee.” Then Amy’s own nightmare began when she discovered a small lump in her right breast in October 2016 – then aged 39. She was diagnosed with breast cancer, which had spread to her lymph nodes.
Sam says: “We were shocked but convinced the treatment would work. We even discussed having another child when she was better.”
SWELLING
In November that year, Amy had her right breast removed, followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
The couple had barely drawn breath when, in March 2017, Sam was hospitalised with swelling of his feet, fluid retention and dangerously low blood pressure.
He had a crucial six-hour heart transplant in May 2017. But six months later he was rushed to hospital again after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was saved by CPR and a balloon was fitted in his heart to prevent further valve blockages.
Sam was hooked up to a machine to deliver oxygen to his blood. It saved his life but he was left with a hole in his leg after arterial damage triggered internal bleeding and necrosis – where tissue in his limb died.
Sam says: “I spent Christmas attached to machines keeping me alive, but despite all she was going through, Amy was always there. Things were bleak and she really lifted my spirits and gave me hope.”
Sam was allowed home in January 2018 but as he improved, Amy’s cancer spread to her bones. A year