Mum Mandy Cugini, 47, became ill and could not be resuscitated, with her husband David saying the family are devastated and still do not know why she died
A family says they do not know what has caused the death of a “one in a million” mum who died less than a week after returning from a holiday in Tunisia.
Amanda ‘Mandy’ Cugini, 47, from Ely, Cardiff, became unwell and her husband David tried to resuscitate her but without success. She died on July 22 this year. David has told how she was an “amazing” mum with two daughters aged 17 and 10, and a 34-year-old stepdaughter. She was also a beloved nan to two grandsons and her family does not currently know what caused Amanda’s death.
“It’s kind of a cliché but she was one in a million,” David said. “She reached out and touched more people that I’m ever going to know. I was with Amanda for 18 years and I knew Amanda for 10 years before that as friends, so I’ve known her a long time and I’m still now getting to hear and meet new people for the first time, who she’d have touched in her life.” It comes after reports a comatose woman woke before organ harvesting surgery but ‘docs operated anyway’.
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David told WalesOnline: “She was an amazing mum, she was an amazing nan to my two grandsons. She was the life and soul of the party. She lit up the room when she walked in. It’s the same stuff as what other people say, but not in Mandy’s way. Mandy was different, she was special.”
Amanda worked at a local child care nursery and was just about to be fully qualified as a day care nurse. David said their family had seen hardships, with Amanda losing her parents, as well as the Covid pandemic and the cost of living crisis, but that she always strove to help others.
“Life has been hard, but someone like Mandy, I always say she would have found a pound and made sure that you either had it all or you’d certainly have half, because she was just a giver,” he said.
He told how Amanda’s loss has left a significant impact on her family, particularly her children. “To be honest, it’s very, very hard,” David said. “So confusing, upsetting and everything, all rolled into one. There are late nights where we sit in with the children and just comfort them because they’re missing mum so much.”
The family has tried to return to normalcy, playing music and singing like they used to do, but he said their grief comes and goes.
“One minute we’re all laughing, thinking over ‘imagine what mum would have said’ and then next minute we’re all hysterical, emotionally devastated, and crying,” he said.
David is thankful to the community, his family and his friends for their support. “I’ve been overwhelmed, to be honest, with the outpouring of love and support,” he said. “The children are the closest to me, so we’ve got each other first, and then it’s a reflection on the friends, family and everybody.
“Even strangers are showing love and support because it’s such a devastating thing for such a beautiful lady at such a young age. It’s been very quick, sudden, very shocking.”
Since Amanda’s death friends, family, and David’s local community have been helping the family by sharing food and donating money towards Amanda’s funeral, for which David has expressed his immense gratitude.