Mom hospitalized with ‘broken heart’ after son’s suicide

By Adam Dutton and James Connell

A mom who thought she was having a heart attack was left hospitalised with 'broken heart syndrome' - months after her soldier son took his own life.

Dawn Turner, 57, tragically lost her son Rob Homans, a bombardier with the Royal Horse Artillery, on August 22 last year.

The mom-of-three woke on March 27 with 'unbearable' chest pains and called an ambulance, worried she was going into cardiac arrest.

But when she arrived at Worcestershire Royal Hospital medics told her she was in fact suffering from the effects of grief caused by a broken heart.

The phenomenon, known as takotsubo syndrome is a temporary, reversible heart condition often triggered by extreme emotional or physical stress, such as grief, fear, or severe illness.

Symptoms usually mimic a heart attack, with sudden severe chest pain and shortness of breath being the most common - it primarily affects women over 50.

Dawn, who lives in Eckington, Worcs., said: “I was sat downstairs earlier that night and thought I had a bit of indigestion.

"I went to bed and just couldn’t get comfortable, I was breaking out in a sweat and had heart palpitations.

“Then at around midnight I had pain down my arm and in my jaw. I was still putting it down to indigestion.

"I got up to get some Gaviscon and I couldn’t get the lid off. My partner Paul asked me if I was alright and I said ‘I think I'm having a heart attack’.

"I could not catch my breath, and my heart felt as though it was missing a beat and then thudding in again. For those moments, I truly believed I was having a heart attack.

"Paul called 999 and an ambulance came within five minutes.

“They were really good, they came in and linked me up to ECG and they said your heart is all over the place - there’s an extra beat and it’s all over the place.

"They put me in the ambulance and blue lighted me there."

Dawn was rushed into emergency care and hooked up to an ECG monitor while blood tests were carried out.

She added: "They came back and said I didn’t have the enzymes produced from a heart attack in my blood. But they said there is something going on.

“They put me in a side ward, took my bloods again and contacted the cardiologist. She said I do have Takotsubo syndrome.

"I told her my heart feels broken and I told her about Rob and she said it’s exactly that - she said it’s a real thing and that I've been under so much stress.

“The body can only take so much and the grief and the stress can be quite physical."

Dawn's son Rob committed suicide in August 2025 after struggling to access help with housing and mental health.

Rob spent 10 years in the Royal Horse Artillery after joining in 2006, working as an artilleryman.

He'd finished two tours of Afghanistan and returned to Civilian life in 2016 before suffering several worsening health conditions.

Dawn, who is the CEO of veterans charity Stepway, said: “When he left the army he got married and they settled down in London.

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"He walked straight into a job as a delivery driver. But then his health took a downward spiral and he started having digestive troubles.

“He was complaining about balance issues. They labeled it as PTSD, but PTSD shares similar symptoms to mild traumatic brain injury.

"He was deaf in one ear from using the guns.

“He realized he was putting so much pressure on his marriage so he moved back up with me.

“He started to build himself up and then covid hit.

“We referred him to combat stress and a letter came through to say there was a sixth month waiting list to see someone.

“He trained as a carpet fitter up in Worcester with me. I tried to go down to the council and get him housing, but the housing officer was horrible.

"She said it didn’t matter that he was a veteran, he wasn’t a priority. He asked if there was anything to help him, she offered him a room in an HMO in Erdington, Birmingham - 40 miles away."

She added: “When people lose loved ones, you’re obviously distraught, but you eventually find closure.

"I found peace when I lost my sister in 2015. But with Rob I can't find closure because there’s no justice there."

Thankfully, Dawn is now on the mend and hopes to be fully recovered in a couple of weeks.

Dawn added: "Until that moment, I had never really understood that a person could become so overwhelmed by stress and grief that it physically affects the heart.

"Broken heart syndrome can look and feel like a heart attack.

“It’s a warning sign for me, and for anyone.

"It can change the shape of one of your heart chambers, so if you’re going on it can cause some serious damage.

"The cardiologist told me that thankfully my heart itself is healthy and there was no damage, but that it will take around two weeks to a month for my heart to reboot itself.

"I was told clearly that I must rest, seek counselling, and make changes to reduce the stress in my life.

“Things have settled down now and I’m taking things easy - I’m pacing myself now and feel a lot better.

"Paul said maybe the extra beat is for Rob. You are carrying on living for him.

"That broke me and healed me a little bit all at once."

According to the British Heart Foundation, takotsubo syndrome causes your heart's main pumping chamber to change shape and get larger. The heart muscle becomes weaker and its pumping action loses strength. 

The syndrome is usually temporary and occurs when a person is experiencing extreme emotional or physical stress.

Women, people over 50 and those suffering with depression are the most likely to suffer with the condition.

Common causes include death, illness, surgery, mental trauma or financial stress. 

Symptoms include sudden, intense chest pain, pressure or heaviness on the chest and shortness of breath. 

It is treated with beta blockers and blood thinning medicine to reduce risks of clots and other flare ups.