A heartbroken mum fell asleep in her child’s room after a funeral, only to find her husband had died in his sleep the next morning.
Sophie Hugill, who lives in Bromley, London, dozed off in her son’s room around 11pm after a tough day at her grandma’s funeral on February 9. Tragically, she found her husband, Mark, lifeless in their bed when she checked on him around 9.30am the next day. Devastated Sophie tried hard to “bring him back”, but struggled because he was “wedged against the wall”.
An ambulance arrived about 45 minutes after Sophie’s call, but despite their efforts, the medics confirmed the sad news that 37-year-old Mark was dead. The cause of his death is still unknown.
Recalling the devastating moment, Sophie said: “I really tried to bring him back, but I think he was gone when I first found him. My life changed from walking from my son’s room to mine, all within five steps.”
The mum shared that she doesn’t “understand” what happened. She mentioned that Mark had type 2 diabetes, but his condition was managed with medication. The dad, who did “everything he possibly could” to keep their family happy, leaves behind his son Harvey, who has autism, ADHD and speech and language delay. Sophie explained that she would have to leave her privately rented house as it is too “extortionate” to afford on her own.
Sophie says she feels “frightened” about her future as she was previously removed from the social housing list because she and Mark earned “too much” money, according to News Shopper.
“I know why Mark worked so hard, I am so scared about mine and Harvey’s future, we had it all planned out,” she said. “I can’t stay private renting, we barely did it together, let alone on my own.”
A fundraiser has been set up to offer the family some “security” during this tough time.
The page read: “Sophie’s husband, Mark, died suddenly in the night. He was only 37 years old and they have an autistic son together. Mark was an incredible dad, despite his son having challenges, he spent every waking minute that he wasn’t working doting on his family. Making them happy was his life’s mission!
“Sophie works in the special needs school that her son attends. She is a kind and selfless person, who is obviously broken by what’s happened. We are hoping to raise funds to help contribute towards the funeral costs and help Sophie move forward in a now different journey of raising her son. Although there’s nothing we can do about this awful tragedy, we are hoping to ease her financial burden and to help Sophie bring up her boy without her beloved Mark by her side.”
To donate to the fundraiser visit here.
