A struggling Edinburgh woman has told of her heartbreak after her mum suddenly passed away.
Devastated Abbigail Bonner, 31, has spoken of the challenges she now faces following her tragic loss. Despite dealing with her own grief, she had to "step up to the plate" and care for little brother, Bradley, 13, as well as her own son, Jamie, 12, in their "cramped flat".
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Her mum Angela Smith, then aged 50, was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2019, a form of cancer linked to exposure to asbestos. It affects the lining of the lungs and other organs including the stomach and heart.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, heartbroken Abbigail explained that her beloved mum was showing symptoms of the disease back in 2019. She had shortness of breath, struggled to walk, and at times looked "swollen".
Abbigail said: "She was receiving care from Marie Curie, and I joined support groups for people affected by this mesothelioma. I had never heard of it, I hadn't even heard of asbestos before but Mum was really struggling and was getting three litres of fluid drained from her lungs.
"Around the end of 2020 or early 2021, she had a scan and they said they couldn't find the cancer. We thought she was going to be alright!
"But her symptoms continued, she was coughing up blood, and she was given antibiotics for a chest infection. In the last eight months of her life, she got really bad. I had to do her shopping and help her out."
On June 21, Angela was rushed to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh after experiencing pain in her right side and an elevated heart rate.
Abbigail said: "She went in and we were told to 'hope for the best, but expect the worst'. She went into cardiac arrest and she then stopped breathing for 15 minutes.
"There was no oxygen going to her brain, her organs were failing and she was put on life support and given 100 per cent oxygen, 100 per cent everything.
"We were allowed to go in at around 9pm that night and the staff at the high-dependency unit were brilliant, they were amazing. We sat with her for hours but the next morning she died."
Angela sadly died on June 22, 2023, at the age of 53, leaving behind a heartbroken family.
"It was seven years to the day that our big sister Clare passed away that mum had a heart attack. My other sister Luca had to pull money together to get down from Orkney so she could say goodbye to Mum.
"But the machines were turned off at 6pm on the 22nd. Luca got in at 6.30pm. It is just heartbreaking."
Abbigail, 31, continued: "It's been hard. It's been really tough. But I knew I had to be strong for them and step up to the plate, there wasn't any doubt that I had to take Bradley in with me. So we're all together but my flat is just a cramped two-bed and I'm now sleeping on the sofa and my brother has my bed.
"It's just me organising my mum's funeral and it's all really difficult. My sister set up a Go Fund Me to help."
Speaking about Angela, Abbigail said while fighting back tears: "People said that she made everyone she met feel special, she was very friendly, full of life. She had a great voice too, she loved singing.
"She used to sing with the back door open in the kitchen. She'd just be pottering around the house and singing out loud. She had time for everybody."
Angela is survived by Abbigail, Luca, 20, Bradley, 13, her grandson Jamie, 12, and her sister, Beverley, 43.
To donate and help Abbigail and her family give Angela the send off she deserves, you can donate at Go Fund Me.
