What was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime has turned into one of the toughest times a family could face.
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Murray Bridge couple John Shaw and Natasha Angie had been planning their trip to America for the past two years and Shaw never imagined he would be coming home alone.
In just two days, Shaw lost his unborn child on Saturday May 14 and partner on the Sunday to the rare HELLP (an acronym for Hemolysis which is the breaking down of red blood cells, Elevated Liver enzymes and Low Platelet count) syndrome which neither were aware of.
Angie was pregnant with the couple’s fourth child and had the all clear from doctors to travel as she appeared to be in good health.
But while in Las Vegas, she began to feel unwell with a migraine and abdominal pain.
Shaw spoke to News3LV and said the symptoms came and went for three days, then early Saturday she showed stroke like symptoms and became unresponsive so he called 911.
"On the ambulance bed, when she was taken out of the room, I told her I love you. She said I love you back to me twice, and that were the last words that came out of her mouth," he said.
The baby was delivered at 26 weeks in effort to save Angie’s life.
“The baby was already deceased when it came out. I got to hold him for a few hours and get some memories with him. Then he was brought to the morgue. She never ever knew what was going on," he said.
"Her heart and kidneys failed on her. They put her on life support that night. I went there the next morning to find out she had swelling in the brain and bleeding in the brain. The doctor said to me what was wrong with her and I asked him if she is basically gone, dead. And she said yeah, that was the hardest thing."
He is now trying to bring his partner and baby back home for a funeral.
Shaw’s mother Rosalind Karpany has been taking care of their two boys eight-year-old Josiah and three-year-old Jaquon while their 10-year-old daughter Kyeesha has been staying in Maitland with Angie’s family.
Ms Karpany said it has been an extremely tough time.
“The family back here have been supporting the children financially and caring for them, we are trying to get support for John for when he comes back because there will be hard times ahead.”
“It’s just getting our heads around it and with the children, it’s just so upsetting, you don’t expect it to happen.”
She is hoping her son will return to Australia on Friday May 20 bringing his partner’s and baby’s remains with him, if not, then soon after.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help Mr Shaw cover the costs to bring them home.
The fundraising target is $50,000 which will enable him to do so and cover some medical costs incurred in America.
Ms Karpany said the family has been overwhelmed by the support they have received from the community, Aboriginal organisations, Murray Bridge South School and the Church so far.
“John would be very appreciative of it and I know Tash would be too,” she said.
“We just want to make other families and mother aware of the HELLP syndrome because so many people are saying they have never heard of it.”
- For more information on HELLP, visit http://www.aapec.org.au/Pre-Eclampsia/10_HELLP.php.
- To help bring them home, visit https://www.gofundme.com/24f3e58.
The Murray Valley Standard notes the cultural sensitivity of images of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Images were published with the family’s permission.