A YOUNG mum who died as her husband slept beside her had everything to live for, an inquest heard.

Tracey Groom, of Belsay, Toothill, took a daily cocktail of painkillers to treat a chronic back condition brought on by the birth of her first child.

But on Monday, February 28, 2005, the 28-year-old was found dead in bed by her husband Simon after an apparent opiate overdose.

The mum of two was taking slow release morphine drug MST continus, anti-depressant amitriptyline to relieve anxiety related to her condition, co-analgesic painkiller gabapentin, anti-inflamatory painkiller indometacin and paracetamol for her condition when she died.

At an inquest into Mrs Groom’s death, held at Trowbridge Coroners’ Court yesterday, friends and family of the “eternal optimist” denied she would have committed suicide. In a statement read out yesterday, on day one of the two-day inquest, childhood friend Keron Clarke said: “There is no way Tracey would ever do any harm to herself, she loved her husband and she loved her babies.

“There is no way she would have taken her own life. She was full of life and made the best of everything.”

Mrs Clarke, 32, of Shrivenham Road, Swindon, said she met Mrs Groom at Dorcan Technology College and later introduced her to Simon, who Mrs Groom went on to marry in 1999.

At the beginning of the week leading up to her death, Mrs Groom’s children began suffering from the flu – symptoms of which their mother developed a few days before she died.

Mr Groom told the inquest his wife spent most of the weekend in bed and despite having a high temperature, felt cold and shivery.

When Mr Groom awoke for work at 5.30am, he could not wake his wife.

Mrs Groom’s younger sister Naomi Sparling, of Foxhill Close, Moredon, spoke of when she last saw her sister on February 20.

Miss Sparling said she had spent the afternoon with Mr and Mrs Groom for their son’s birthday at Megabowl bowling alley in Shaw Ridge, West Swindon.

She described her sister as an “enthusiastic mother” who, despite her illness, was the only adult who danced with the children during the party.

“Tracey was quite energetic that day and danced the Cha Cha Slide,” she said.

“You could see it was taxing her but she was still doing it.”

Miss Sparling explained her sister hoped for a third child even though the birth would almost certainly leave her wheelchair-bound.

“Tracey was an enthusiastic mother and despite her back problem she told me she would like more children, even though a further birth would have crippled her and put her in a wheelchair.”

The inquest continues today.