SITTING in a harshly-lit hospital room, Katie Sanderson anxiously waited for doctors to return.
Just hours earlier, she had been excitedly discussing the future with fiancé Carl Mulhall, along with their 17-month-old daughter Ella.
But as the recently-engaged couple, from Gainsborough, Lincs, made their way to bed later that night, 20-year-old Carl collapsed.
Katie, 18, frantically called his parents who raced to their nearby home and battled desperately to save their son while waiting for an ambulance.
Paramedics arrived 28 minutes later and Carl was taken to Lincoln County Hospital but he died shortly afterwards.
It's thought he may have had an undiagnosed genetic heart condition, but the family are still awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination for answers.
Sudden collapse
The devastated mum-of-one said that Carl, known as CJ to his family, started complaining of a pain in his chest on October 11.
Moments later, as the pair headed to bed, he said he couldn't see and then suddenly collapsed.
Katie said: “It sounds pathetic but I didn’t believe him at first."
She added: “I know nothing about first aid. I sat beside him stroking his head telling him everything would be ok.
“It was one of the hardest phone calls I have had to make to his parents and it’s a phone call I never want to make again.”
World torn apart
Katie was told to wait in a room with Carl's parents, brother and sister while medics battled to save her fiancé's life.
Shortly after, a doctor came in and broke the devastating news that Carl had died.
Katie said: “It felt like someone had taken my heart and ripped it out completely. My whole world just sunk.
“There were constant tears from all of us.
“It’s such a blur. Walking to the room to go and see him was just horrendous."
It felt like someone had taken my heart and ripped it out completely. My whole world just sunk
The family are still waiting to find out how Carl – who proposed to Katie on her 18th birthday in July – died.
But Katie says no answer can heal the pain of losing the love of her life.
“Carl was the most caring, lovable person you could have in your life,” she said.
“He loved his little girl with all his heart.
“He was my fiancé and everything you can imagine in someone like that, he was that.
“I shared my laughs with him and my tears.
“He was really helpful. If someone wanted help he would be there straightaway.”
Katie is committed to ensuring their little girl never forgets her father and says she will always cherish the memories they do have.
In the meantime, she and Carl’s family are trying to raise money to give him a send-off they feel he deserves.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to support the costs of the funeral with almost £400 already being raised.
Posting on the page, Carl’s sister, Alisha wrote: “Our little mate CJ. Brother, son, fiancé and daddy.
“We just want to give him the send if he deserves because he was the nicest, funniest, gentlest man taken unexpectedly and way sooner than he should have been.
“Please give anything you can, anything will help and we will all be forever grateful to every single one of you.”
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