Mother with rheumatic heart disease dies

February 10, 2019
Claudia Vassell
Claudia Vassell

After a two year battle with rheumatic heart disease with moderate mitral stenosis, Claudia Vassell had died.

The 37-year old mother of two was pronounced dead at the Mandeville Regional Hospital on Friday after passing out in her bathroom.

Her mother Anneth Carter said that their family is broken and is in shock following her daughter's passing.

"Her children are taking it really hard. They already lost their father and now they are without a mother. She was a fighter and we miss her, until now mi can't expain it," she said between tears.

The STAR first highlighted Vassell's plight in 2017 after her mother sought the public's assistance in accumulating the $1.7 million that was needed for her to have an open-heart surgery.

The Banana Ground resident's health began to fail after she contracted chikungunya in 2014.

Following the article, Vassell received an outpouring of support and donations that made it possible for her to travel overseas to have the surgery.

Carter said her daughter had fallen ill and complained of having stomach pains Thursday afternoon after returning from a medical appointment.

"My sister had explained to the doctor that she was having her menses for about three weeks and the doctor took her off one of the medication for a week saying her blood was too thin. When she got home, she complained of stomach pain and she drank some tea and she barely ate her dinner," she said.

Carter said that on Friday morning, Claudia went to the bathroom to shower.

"My other daughter said she heard when something stumbled in the bathroom and when she went to check she saw that it was Claudia who had fainted. She was rushed to the hospital and I know the doctors tried very hard to save her life becuase when I went there, there was a medical team still around her. But they couldn't do anything more," she said.

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