Sydney nurse and newlywed Kelly Clarke and husband Chase jetted off to Fiji to attend a friend’s wedding and to celebrate their own honeymoon.
But the couple’s trip ended in heartbreak when Kelly was taken to hospital after falling ill on Wednesday, with what was initially diagnosed as typhoid fever. The 24-year-old’s family confirmed the heartbreaking news that Kelly did not survive the ordeal. As Nine News reports, the young nurse died from severe bilateral pneumonia and died in hospital on Friday night.
Now, Kelly’s husband Chase has spoken out about the heartbreaking ordeal of identifying her body from a hospital shipping container.
“It was disgusting, they put her body in a refrigerated shipping container and I pulled the sheet off her head and saw her lying there with other bodies on shelves,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
“That’s not something I ever envisaged doing, that image is now in my mind.
“It was disgusting, hospitals there are not quite third world but conditions are basic.”
After her death, Kelly’s parents flew to Fiji to make arrangements for her body and support her husband. Her body was then transported from Fiji to Sydney Airport.
Chase told The Daily Telegraph earlier in the week that he was “completely and utterly devastated” and that Kelly’s death came “as a complete shock”.
“When we’re stronger we will reveal the complete causes of death but severe bilateral pneumonia is the main one,” he said.
“Kelly is a wonderful kind soul, the last thing you expect on your honeymoon is to lose your wife, she had her whole life ahead of her,” Chase continued.
“We just want her home, it’s a waiting game for us now, we’re just shocked and devastated and can’t explain how we feel.
“I just feel numb.”
A spokeswoman for The Children’s Hospital at Westmead said Kelly—who worked as a post-operative nurse—would be sorely missed.
“Kelly was a dedicated nurse who loved working with children and will be greatly missed by her colleagues and patients,” the spokeswoman said.
A GoFundMe page has been created for the Clarke family. You can donate here.
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