She lost her 23-year-old son to an overdose and then nearly lost her own life.
Laura Baird experienced a grief so profound that she found herself wanting to join Ian — a wish she felt was almost answered when her heart began to fail.
“Our world crashed. I mean, I don’t even know how to describe it,” she said. “Losing a child is like the worst thing that can happen to you in your life.”
Her grief was intensified by the pandemic, which forced a small, masked funeral with only close family. The emotional toll of losing a child coupled with the restrictions that prevented a proper gathering led to a lack of closure.
Even without notable symptoms, her Apple Watch detected premature ventricular contractions, extra heartbeats that disrupt the normal rhythm. A nurse, she had the presence of mi