THE family of a baby nurse who was the “epitome of kindness” have been left devastated after she died suddenly on Christmas Eve.
Ashley Denness, 34, collapsed while holidaying with her partner’s family in the Whitsunday islands close to Queensland, Australia.
Baby nurse Ashley Denness collapsed and died on Christmas Eve with little warning[/caption]
The nurse, who worked for Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, was rushed to Proserpine Hospital in the city of Mackay but suffered a second seizure in the ambulance.
Emergency medics tried to revive Ashley for 45 minutes, but she sadly passed away.
Devastated mum Debbie Negru revealed her daughter had spent a happy morning crab-catching before the fatal turn of events.
“She had just told me what a great year it’s been and I know she didn’t want to die,” Ms Negru told Daily Mail.
“I hear her calling ‘Mum’ when I try to go to sleep which isn’t much these days.
“The sparkle has just been taken out of our lives and we still cannot comprehend this.”
The much-loved baby nurse had worked at Alfred’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for 12 years supporting critically ill children.
This year, Ashley had transitioned into a new role transporting sick and premature babies to hospital care by helicopter.
The victim’s best friend Samantha Bozinovska said the new position was her “dream job”.
She continued: “Ash was a cherished daughter, loving sister and sister-in-law, adored life long partner, fun auntie, trusted friend, an incredible nurse and colleague as well as a loving mum to her fur babies.
“She embodied everything you ever needed and wanted in a person. She made everything feel so effortless and just like home.
“Ash was that sparkle in every room.
“She just had that presence about her. An aura that she gave off.
“You knew she was the epitome of kindness.”
Another colleague, Lisa Peereboom, said her pal would always “sparkle over my life”.
“You made my world better, you made me feel safe and you made me excited for our next adventure,’ she wrote.
“Laying around watching TV or flying to QLD to see our favourite artists, or working together catching babies or quickly calculating drugs in a resus while our adrenaline was pumping – EVERYTHING was made more wonderful because you were by my side.
“The world seems dimmer. Who will force me to wear flowers in my hair now? How will I ever laugh so hard?
“I love you. I miss you. Thank you for sparkling all over my life.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for Ms Denness’s body to be brought back to Sydney, as well as for funeral and other costs.
