A GRANDMOTHER who wanted “go with dignity” took her own life after suffering with a chronic lung problem for over 30 years, an inquest heard.

Jennifer Hambidge, aged 67, was living with bronchitis and was forced to carry a bottle of oxygen to help her breathe.

An inquest into her death at Winchester Coroner’s Court on Wednesday was told that the part-time dispenser at ay Lewis and Fisk Chemist in Portswood had put off using oxygen until she was told that there was no other option, but her partner of 10 year, Derek Christmas, said that she seemed to go “downhill”.

Mr Christmas said that his partner of had mentioned taking her own life in the four months before her death.

He said: “I didn’t believe what she was saying. I didn’t want to believe what she was saying.”

On the evening before she was discovered Mr Christmas waited for Mrs Hambidge at the pub, but she never arrived, and he alerted the police in the hours following after he had not heard from her.

Her body was found at her home in Elmsleigh Gardens, Southampton, by her son Matthew on June 30, who said “she looked completely at peace”.

Senior coroner Christopher Wilkinson said he believed Mrs Hambidge had taken her medication, which acted as a sedative to put her to sleep and she died after not taking the much-needed oxygen.

Mr Hambidge said: “She didn’t want to become someone that existed being ill. She was very conscious of what people thought of her.”

The inquest was told that Mrs Hambidge had left a note for her son, along with a book of memories.

“She played an important role in bringing up my two boys,” Mr Hambidge said.

“She was extremely proud of me and her grandchildren. She had so much positivity in her life and experiences.”

Mr Hambidge said his mother watched him get married and watched her grandchildren play football regularly which were perhaps milestones she wanted to be a part of.

Coroner Mr Wilkinson concluded that Mrs Hambidge’s death was as the result of a suicide.