WHEN Natasha Johnson’s little grandson Marcus fell unwell with a tummy ache, he asked a question which broke her heart.
“Will I die like Mummy?” he asked. “She got poorly and died. Will it happen to me as well?”
Natasha, 54, is raising Marcus, three years old, after her daughter, Tanya, died at just 25 years old after a “pointless” trip to A&E.
What sharpened Natasha’s grief more than ever was the knowledge that her life could and should have been saved by hospital medics.
Tanya McCartney, 25, thought at first she’d caught a harmless cold from Marcus, then aged 11 months, when she became ill in May 2023.
But the young mum died from pneumonia just 24 hours after being sent home from hospital with antibiotics.
That decision was slammed at an inquest in September 2026, which found it contributed to her death. The Trust has now apologised.
Natasha has spoken exclusively of the family’s heartbreak and the bittersweet joy in seeing reminders of Tanya in Marcus.
She also revealed that Tanya’s father died from a heart attack 11 years before Tanya, in the same room in their home.
Natasha tells Sun Health: “The decision not to admit Tanya to hospital was catastrophic.
“She came home from A&E and said: ‘That was a waste of time, I don’t even know what’s wrong with me’.
“The next day, she stopped breathing on the sofa in the living room. The paramedics laid her on the floor, and it was the exact same spot where her dad had collapsed, 11 years previously.
“I lay down on the floor with her and promised I would bring Marcus up for her.
“I miss her every moment of every day, but I hope by speaking out we can prevent another family suffering like this.”
Tanya, from Chesterfield, Derbyshire, was the younger of Natasha’s two children and was close to her brother, Martin, now 30.
Natasha says: “As a little girl, Tanya was a tomboy, she loved cars. Until you got to know her, she was shy, but she had strong opinions and was very determined. She was funny too.”
The family suffered heartbreak when Andrew, Tanya’s father, had a heart attack in the family living room and tragically died at the age of 44.
Natasha says: “It was horrendous, but we pulled together. Tanya was my best friend; we bickered a lot because we were similar, but we laughed a lot, too. We went on shopping trips and , and we had a wonderful bond.”
After school, Tanya trained as a mechanic before switching careers to work in the care sector, like Natasha.
She had just been accepted as a trainee mental nurse when she found out she was pregnant in the of 2021.
Natasha says: “The pregnancy was a big surprise, but she moved back home, and I supported her all the way. Everything went well and we were over the moon when Marcus was born.
“Tanya was a natural. She was so maternal and loving. She was a brilliant mum.”
After starting nursery the following May, Marcus picked up a cold, which he passed on to Tanya.
Natasha says: “We weren’t worried, we just thought she’d got his cold. Tanya was usually healthy; she had mild which never caused her any problems.
“But she became breathless and chesty and on May 18, I persuaded her to see the . She had a fever and didn’t seem at all well.
“The doctor was so concerned he sent her straight to hospital and wouldn’t allow her to drive. I was at work so my mum, Jackie, went with her.
“Later that evening, Tanya came home and said, ‘That was a waste of time’ before going to bed.
“She had a throat spray and antibiotics, but she didn’t even have a diagnosis.
“A doctor had mentioned tonsilitis or an abscess and talked about admitting her, but allowed her home after Tanya told them she had a baby.
“It is horrific knowing they let her go home to look after Marcus, which probably cost her life. The next morning, Tanya was asleep and I went off to work.”
Later that day, Tanya went with a friend to collect her car from the GP practice. When they arrived home, she became confused and did not recognise her own son.
Inside the house, she collapsed onto the sofa and stopped breathing.
Paramedics were unable to revive her, and she was pronounced dead on May 19, 2023, aged 25.
Natasha says: “I got a call at work, and I was in complete shock. As I was driving home, my son called and asked me why the air ambulance was over our house. I had to tell him his sister had passed away.
Symptoms of sepsis
Sepsis can be hard to recognise and diagnose, as symptoms can manifest in many different ways.
Sepsis can develop from something as ordinary as a urinary tract infection, flu, or a cut that becomes infected.
When sepsis strikes, the immune system’s response to an infection rapidly spirals out of control.
It starts attacking not just the infection, but everything else around it, including the body’s own tissues and organs.
The condition is treatable but if not diagnosed promptly, it can lead to septic shock, multiple organ failure and in worst cases, death.
Anyone can develop sepsis, but babies and children, older adults, pregnant and postpartum women, and people with weakened immune systems are at greatest risk.
Sepsis in previously healthy adults can progress to septic shock in a matter of hours.
That’s why it’s crucial to familiarise yourself with the common symptoms of sepsis – it could save a life, maybe even your own.
The key symptoms to look out for are:
- A high or low temperature
- Uncontrolled shivering
- Confusion
- Passing little urine
- Blotchy or cold arms and legs
- Fast, or difficulty in, breathing
- Rapid heartbeat
- Extreme pain or discomfort
- Feeling dizzy or faint
- Mottled or discoloured skin
“Tanya was on the floor in the living room when I arrived, and it was the same spot where my husband had died years earlier. My heart was shattered. I couldn’t take in that it was happening again.
“I held Marcus and lay on the floor with her and promised I would raise him and make her proud.”
Tanya’s ashes were scattered with her father’s in Whitby where the family had enjoyed many happy holidays.
Natasha moved to London to be with her long-term partner, Warren Johnson. They later married and are raising Marcus together.
In August 2025, the Trust admitted Tanya should have been admitted for further observations, investigations and intravenous antibiotics. They acknowledged she would, on the balance of probabilities, have survived.
An inquest into her death was held at Chesterfield Coroners’ Court earlier this month.
The hearing heard Tanya had suspected and had a very high heart rate and soaring temperature, but was given the option of being discharged.
In her narrative verdict, coroner Anita Davies said: “Had Tanya been admitted on the 18 May and given appropriate intravenous antibiotics, it is more likely than not that she would have survived.
“The decision not to admit Tanya to hospital on the evening of the 18 May, but rather to offer her a choice between admission or return home, contributed to the death.”
Natasha and Warren are awaiting a settlement from Chesterfield Royal Hospital Foundation Trust which they hope will help with Marcus’ upbringing.
Natasha, a carer, says: “I’ve gone part-time at work because I need to be around for Marcus.
“He is a beautiful little boy. He loves cars, just like his mummy, and when he’s cross, he stamps one foot, which reminds me so much of her.
“It’s bittersweet, thinking of what should have been.
“Now he’s four, he asks every day about his Mummy, and we explained she was poorly and she died. But then he asked if he would also die when he got poorly.
“He knows she is in heaven and says he would like to go and see her there. It’s absolutely heart-breaking.
“I will raise him with as much love and care as I can to make Tanya proud. I only hope that lessons will be learned from her death. If you’re unwell, please insist on a diagnosis and, because it could save your life.”
Slater Gordon medical negligence specialist, Rebecca Dowse, said: “Tanya McCartney’s death was a devastating and avoidable tragedy involving a young woman whose condition was treatable.
“She was just 25 years old, a loving mother to her young son, and had her whole life ahead of her.
“The inquest’s narrative verdict, which acknowledged the Trust’s admission that discharging Tanya was inappropriate, is a stark reminder of the tragic consequences of incorrect clinical decision-making.
“We now know it was not just inappropriate to discharge Tanya; it was a fatal error that the Trust has been forced to account for.
“Tanya’s family has shown extraordinary determination in pursuing answers.
“They have had to endure not only the devastating loss of a much-loved daughter and mother, but also years of uncertainty while trying to understand how such a tragedy could occur.
“Today’s findings from the coroner are an important acknowledgement of the concerns that Tanya’s family have fought for so long to have properly examined.
“While we welcome the Trust’s eventual admissions and the procedural changes implemented since this tragedy, it should never require a grieving family to launch a legal battle simply to obtain the truth.
“We hope the conclusions reached today provide Tanya’s family with some measure of accountability and the answers they have sought for so long.
“It is now vital the findings from this case, together with the learning identified by the Trust, are acted upon and embedded in practice, so that the failures identified can be prevented in the future and are not repeated.”
Since Tanya’s death, the Trust has introduced several changes and learning measures, including strengthened oversight of higher-risk patients within the Emergency Department, improvements to referral and handover procedures, and the introduction of a new electronic patient record system.”
Mr Sargen, Medical Director at the Trust, said: “We would like to again express our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of Tanya McCartney.
“We accept the findings of the coroner in relation to the care provided in May 2023. We have undertaken a thorough review of the circumstances surrounding her care and have implemented a number of improvements aimed at strengthening patient assessment, escalation and clinical decision-making.
“As there are ongoing legal matters relating to the case, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”
