The partner of a young mum who died suddenly aged just 26 has spoken of the moment he realised something was gravely wrong.
Jon Noble, 42, had been driving Nikita Lomax back home from a trip to Wales after the mother-of-one said she wasn't feeling well. She told him she was going to get some sleep and drifted off.
But as they were around 15 miles from Manchester, Jon said he noticed something wasn't right with his girlfriend and the mother of his child, and drove them straight to Manchester Royal Infirmary.
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Doctors worked on Nikita, also known as Terri, for around 30 minutes before she gave Jon the devastating news that there was nothing more they could do for her.
Her family have been left in complete shock, as the cause of her death still remains unknown. They are still waiting for the results of a post-mortem examination to give them some answers.
Jon described his partner of five years as a "happy" and "great" mother who devoted her life to their 19-month-old daughter Kavana-Rose. Nikita grew up in Wythenshawe and had been living in Bacup in Lancashire with Jon at the time of her death.
He said Nikita had suffered with her mental health following the sudden death of her brother around a decade ago, but had been coping well with her grief in recent years.
She had been referred to hospital some weeks prior to her death after experiencing chest pain and was said to be awaiting some further tests for an 'abnormal blood result'.
Speaking to the M.E.N, Jon said: "She was a brilliant person. She was a very happy and great mother. She was outgoing and always wanted to do stuff.
"She had her own problems in the past with her mental health after watching her brother pass away after being hit by a car. She obviously never got over that but she was dealing with it really well.
"When she became pregnant it changed her and she was brilliant. Our daughter is 19-months-old and is called Kavana-Rose. She was Nikita’s world. She meant everything to her and she was always planning for the future."
The couple had decided to take their daughter to visit Jon's brother in Wales on Friday 20 May and had enjoyed the day together playing in the garden. But in the early hours of the following morning Nikita said she wasn't feeling well and wanted to go home.
"We were about 15 miles from Manchester and she said she was tired and went to sleep next to me. I thought she was asleep but then I realised something was really wrong and drove her straight to Manchester Royal Infirmary," Jon said.
"When I got to the A&E department I couldn’t see anyone there but I found some paramedics in an ambulance. They came to the car and started doing chest compressions and took her in on a stretcher.
"They came and got some details from me and asked me to wait in a side room. It was about half an hour and they came and told me they couldn’t do anything else for her."
Jon says doctors told him Nikita could have suffered a blood clot but they are still waiting for the result of a post-mortem, which aren't likely to come back until next week.
Nikita's auntie has since launched a GoFundMe page to help Jon and the family help raise funds to pay for a funeral. Her auntie Julie wrote: "We have recently lost our loving niece, daughter, sister, wife and mother at the tragic age of 26.
"She has left behind a doting partner and beautiful baby girl as well as family members who loved her dearly. I am hoping to raise funds to help her partner with funeral costs and maybe something to put to one side for their daughter's future.
"This was a shocking and tragic loss that no one expected, Nikita fell asleep and did not wake up. Please help us raise some money to help her partner with giving her the second off she deserves."
Jon added: "It has come as a really big shock. She was only 26. We just want to give her the best send off we can because she deserves the best. She is going to be missed by so many people."
You can donate to the fundraiser here.
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