'I can't wake mummy': Toddler sat by mother's dead body for two days after fatal asthma attack
A young boy sat by his mother's body for two days after she died from an asthma attack, telling her friend when she found them, "I can't wake mummy."
Toddler Mason Martin survived for two days in his home in Perth, Scotland, after his mother Lydia Macdonald suffered a fatal asthma attack.
Although he was dehydrated, Mason survived by eating a block of cheese he found in the fridge, the Sun reports.
Lydia's mother Linda Macdonald became concerned when her daughter's friend Jodi-Ann called out of concern she had not heard from the young mum in days.
Jodi-Ann headed for Lydia's flat but no one answered the door.
She spotted Mason through a window, asking him to open the door.
Lydia was on her bed, holding her puffer.
The 28-year-old had stopped breathing and died in her sleep.
Mason was taken to hospital for treatment where he learnt the news from Jodi-Ann that his mother would never wake up again.
The severe asthma she was diagnosed with at age two had claimed her life.
"Despite this she was always a happy, bubbly little girl," her mother Linda said about the chronic condition.
"She would be in and out of hospital, rushed in ambulances."
Surviving several serious attacks as child and adult, the young woman persevered.
At age 24 she met Bobby Martin and the pair fell fast in love.They were expecting a baby within six months.
During the pregnancy Lydia's asthma showed some improvement and she took to motherhood expertly when Mason was born, but the young family was about to run into tragedy.
Mason was just eight months old when Bobby died suddenly, devastating young mum Lydia.
"She would show Mason photos of his dad every day and told him he was the biggest star in the sky watching over him," her mother said.
"She struggled with her grief but Mason gave her a reason to carry on."
Four months after Bobby's death Lydia was rushed to hospital after suffering another severe attack.
Her mother said she begged her to come home, but "she was so independent and she didn't want to let asthma control her life".
She died a year later.
When Jodi-Ann called her in tears to say she could not wake her, Linda knew the worst had happened.
"We were absolutely devastated," the grandmother said.
"The light she brought to every room had gone out. They think she passed away on Sunday or Monday night, meaning Mason was alone with her.
"I have no idea what he thought or what he was going through."
The family has since started a research fund to help asthma sufferers in the UK, with the hope of raising awareness about the dangers of the chronic disease the can also be a killer.
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