Mystery remains on sudden death

MYSTERY surrounds the sudden death of a fit and healthy Chadderton mother the day after a family party.

Diane Rowland (50), of Chadderton Park Road, complained of a severe headache and said she was struggling to open her eyes on August 23 last year.

She stayed in bed and her teenage daughter checked on her frequently, taking her cups of tea and food.

At 1.45pm, Mrs Rowland’s daughter went into the bedroom and found she wasn’t breathing.

Mrs Rowland, an account manager for the Audit Commission, was taken to the Royal Oldham Hospital where she was pronounced dead despite resuscitation attempts.

Mr Rowland told the Oldham inquest that his wife was generally fit and healthy but had been complaining of headaches in the months leading up to her death.

Pathologist Dr Baiden Amisa said Mrs Rowland had died following a severe swelling in her brain — but couldn’t discover the source of the swelling.

Coroner Simon Nelson gave a verdict of unascertained natural causes adding: “It is rare for a pathologist not to be able to identify a cause of death and this happens in only a tiny percentage of all the deaths I deal with each year.”