Tribute to Marilyn Castle, 87, after conclusion of inquest

Marilyn Castle, who lived in Hunstanton, died of a stroke in November 2022 at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge at the age of 87.

Her death came 10 days after she suffered "catastrophic" bleeding during an operation to remove a tumour from inside her nose.

An inquest into her death concluded that the cause of her stroke was not known, but area coroner Yvonne Blake highlighted concerns over two procedures carried out during her treatment.

In a narrative conclusion she wrote: "Marilyn Castle underwent a second resection of a presumed benign inverted papilloma in her nose.

"However, this lesion had already converted to a malignant tumour.

"Cat scan imaging had demonstrated bony erosion which was not recognised prior to surgery.

"During surgery on November 15, 2022, a major haemorrhage occurred and her nose was tamponaded and then packed."

She added that on November 23, an operation at the James Paget to remove the packaging from the nose went ahead after a "pseudoaneurysm shown on a scan was not recognised."

Mrs Blake added that during this operation, Ms Castle started bleeding again and she was transferred to Addenbrooke's, where it was discovered she had suffered a stroke.

Mrs Blake concluded: "The cause of the stroke is not known. Ms Castle's active care was withdrawn and she died on November 25 at the hospital."

'A CARING AND DETERMINED WOMAN'

Following the inquest conclusion, Vicki Seabrook, one of her closest friends, paid tribute to the former NHS worker.

She said Ms Castle - Mal to her friends - was born in 1935 and attended grammar school in North London.

She trained as a nurse and worked as an A&E sister at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn - and was involved in commissioning the new hospital.

Ms Castle originally lived in London with her partner Pam, but the pair had a second home in Norfolk and retired to Brancaster in the mid 1990s.

She said: "Mal enjoyed an active retirement - she and Pam were accomplished artists, keen photographers and very involved with the local parish council.

"They were enthusiastic sailors and I remember her teaching my sons to sail.

"After they moved to Norfolk, I visited Mal regularly and we were great friends right until she died.

"Mal was a caring, energetic and determined woman who was highly regarded and loved by all who knew.

"She achieved a huge amount in life and gave so much help and support to others - I knew her for over 40 years and I still miss her."