That must have been such a scary way to wake up! I always put mine in the drawer of my bedside table otherwise the worry that I would sweep them to the floor and step on them would prevent me from sleeping at all.

Oh no! Possibly the string had worn through and that's why it broke. Sometimes the holes in crystals and beads can be quite uneven and that might wear on the string. I hope you'll manage to get it fixed!

I didn't know she had passed away, how sad!