Norwich family fundraising in memory of paramedic Ian Hill

Jo Hill, now 37, returned to her home in Hellesdon on Friday, December 13, 2019 to find her husband Ian unresponsive. 

Ian Hill died suddenly in December 2019 (Image: Contributed)

Ian, who has been described by friends and family as "fit and healthy", had died from sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS), a condition in which a person suffers an unexpected cardiac arrest with no obvious cause.

"It was really sudden and totally out of the blue," Jo told the Evening News.

"He had no health conditions and no symptoms.

"The pain of losing him was indescribable."

Ian, who was described by his wife as "laid back" and "very happy", had worked as a prison guard before becoming a paramedic. 

From left, Jo Hill, Ian Hill and their dog May (Image: Contributed)

At the time of his death, he and his wife were preparing to celebrate Christmas, as well as their third wedding anniversary. 

"We got hardly any time together," Jo said.

"We had a dog called May, but no children.

"That was our plan for the future but we sadly never got the chance."

Now, Jo, Ian's mum Lynda and friends and family have all come together to raise money for charity SADS UK. 

They have so far managed to raise around £9,000 through a range of events, while also helping to set up emergency defibrillators across the city.

Last weekend, they gathered at The Whalebone in Magdalen Road to celebrate what would have been Ian's 40th birthday.

The Whalebone pub in Magdalen Road (Image: Denise Bradley)

Jo said: "He liked it in there and the pub was so supportive.

"We raised around £500 and got a defibrillator set up outside.

"There are now four in areas that were significant to Ian, like his former school in Hellesdon. There is also one at my exercise class.

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"If he could see what we were doing I think he'd play it down and say 'you don't have to do this for me'.

"But I'm glad we have been able to turn something so negative into something positive. 

"You only get seconds to save someone's life. We hope to prevent any sudden loss of life and ensure other families don't have to experience this indescribable heartache we all feel."

You can donate to SADS UK at www.sadsuk.org.uk.