A devastated newly-wed whose husband died suddenly as they slept says they had their “whole lives” ahead of them.
Emma Ozenbrook, from Canterbury, woke to hear Dan, whom she had married 18 months before, making unusual noises beside her one morning.
She initially believed her partner, aged just 36, was having a nightmare, but would soon find herself fighting to save his life.
Despite the courageous 34-year-old carrying out CPR for 20 minutes until paramedics arrived, Mr Ozenbrook died of a cardiac arrest.
It came barely two years after he was diagnosed with a faulty heart valve which prevented blood from flowing correctly around the organ’s chambers and the rest of his body.
The defect, discovered by chance in February 2019 after Dan’s GP noticed he had high blood pressure and irregular heartbeat, was being monitored by cardiologists at the time who planned to replace the valve.
Mrs Ozenbrook told how she never expected the condition to result in her husband’s death on an otherwise ordinary Thursday morning in June 2021.
“From the way everyone spoke about it there was never a moment where I considered Dan might die from this,” she said.
“When we had discussions with consultants it was about the inevitability of heart surgery.”
The duo, who first met as housemates, worked in education before starting a podcast together called Real Life Ghost Stories.
But, with a dream to pursue streaming full-time, Irish-born Emma left her job as a teacher while her partner soon followed suit.
She says the couple were only starting their journey as soulmates – something she still struggles to come to terms with today.
“I had a lot of anxiety about people that I loved dying,” she added.
“Dan was only 36 and I thought we had our whole lives ahead of us. It was horrendous.
“I developed insomnia, which I still really struggle with, and I had debilitating flashbacks for a really long time.”
With a focus on improving her own health now a priority, the Canterbury podcaster is embarking on running seven half-marathons across seven countries to raise money for the British Heart Foundation (BHF).
Having completed her second 13-mile event in Cardiff on Sunday (October 6), she will be following it up with events in Germany, Denmark, Portugal, Czech Republic and Spain over the next two years.
She explained: “After Dan’s death I became conscious you only get one body and I wanted to make sure I knew I was looking after mine.
“I started to go running even though I’m not naturally athletic and I find it really hard.
“I’m a slow runner and I’m never going to run a five-minute mile, but I stick with it as I know I’m looking after my body and doing something positive for my health.
“I don’t want another young man or woman to drop dead when they’re 36-years-old or for anyone to have to go through what I went through.
“By supporting the BHF, I want to further research to stop that ever happening again.”
People can donate to Emma’s fundraising by clicking here.
Meanwhile, BHF’s Jas Dhanda says it is an honour Emma is trying to raise money on behalf of the charity.
The foundation’s events executive said: “I can’t begin to imagine what it must have been like for Emma to lose her husband in such awful circumstances.
“It is very moving to hear about her experience and to know that it is now motivating her to fundraise on our behalf.
“On behalf of everyone at the BHF, I would like to thank her for taking on the challenge.”
