A ‘WONDERFUL nanna’ died as a result of an acute cardiac infection following years of heroin use, an inquest heard.

Lynn Corkill died at the age of 60 at her home on Windermere Avenue in Barrow on November 12, 2019, Cockermouth Coroner’s Court was told.

Daughter Cherie Speers explained her mother was a long-term user of heroin who started taking drugs in her early twenties. She had previously been a carer for Twilight Years until she was found with heroin on her, the inquest was told.

Ms Speers said despite her issues with addiction her mother managed 'to put others before herself' and had moved in with her parents to care for them.

“She was a wonderful nanna,” Ms Speers told the court.

“She had wanted to seek help for her addiction.

“She did everything for everyone else. She would always put herself at the back of the queue.

“She told me she took what she took to live day to day, she said she did not get any enjoyment from it.”

Ms Speers said her mother had been in contact with Unity over rehabilitation for her addictions, but was put off by the group sessions.

In the days leading up to her death, Mrs Corkill was in contact with her GP on multiple occasions because of lower back pain which she described as ‘10 out of 10’.

She had attempted to get a home visit from her GP the day before her death but they said there were no more home visits until the next day, the inquest heard.

She was found dead by her brother the following morning after he went to check on her due to concerns over her agony the previous night.

Ms Speers questioned why the doctors did not take more urgent action after the post-mortem revealed Mrs Corkill had sepsis due to endocarditis, a rare infection of the inner lining of the heart.

In response Dr John Culling said: “We feel she showed no signs of this and her death could not have been anticipated.”

The cause of death was given as multi-drug toxicity due to the number of opiates in her system, sepsis, and infectious endocarditis.

In his conclusion, coroner Dr Nicholas Shaw ruled out a drug-related death as he did not believe the level in her system would be enough to cause death in a frequent user.

“She died at home, most likely due to the infection from the endocarditis," he said.

“This is not just a drug related death. This is an acute cardiac infection with complications of intravenous drug use."