Jett Kenny has revealed his heartbreaking final moments with his sister, Jaimi Kenny, before her death at age 33 last year.
The lifesaver, 27, had just finished his shift at the beach when his mother, Lisa Curry, 59, called, sounding distressed.
Instinctively, Jett knew something had happened to his big sister.
Loss: Jett Kenny has revealed his heartbreaking final moments with his sister, Jaimi Kenny, before her death at age 33 last year. Pictured with his sister
‘I could tell something was wrong,’ he told The Courier Mail on Friday.
‘And in my head, I was like I hope – I didn’t hope this for any reason – if it’s going to be a family issue, I hope it’s Jaimi and it’s not (my other sister) Morgan or (her son) Flynn or anyone else, because I was like, our family doesn’t need to deal with more in a way.’
The family gathered together to say goodbye to Jaimi as her life support was switched off at a Queensland hospital.
But the ‘fighter’, Jett explains, lived on for several more hours, despite doctors insisting she would pass in minutes.
Hard: The lifesaver, 27, had just finished his shift at the beach when his mother, Lisa Curry, 59, called, sounding distressed. Instinctively, Jett knew something had happened to his big sister. Lisa is pictured with Jaimi
‘We ended up all at the hospital and that was the last time I saw her. She fought all the way until the end.
‘They took her off life support and eight hours I think she was off life support for until she finally passed away; the doctors thought it was going to be about a minute or two, so she was a fighter, that’s for sure.’
The Dancing With the Stars performer said he managed to hold his emotions inside until he saw his mother break down.
Difficult: The family gathered together to say goodbye to Jaimi as her life support was switched off at a Queensland hospital. But the ‘fighter’, Jett explains, lived on for several more hours, despite doctors insisting she would pass in minutes
‘I remember the first time I proper cried about it was when mum was so upset. I was just like, ‘goddammit’,’ he told the paper.
‘But after that it was just a matter of trying to be strong for them, I guess.’
Jett told the paper that Jaimi had been informed she may not may it to 30, but had battled on until she was 33.
Strong: The Dancing With the Stars performer said he managed to hold his emotions inside until he saw his mother break down. ‘I remember the first time I proper cried about it was when mum was so upset. I was just like, ‘goddammit’,’ he told the paper. ‘But after that it was just a matter of trying to be strong for them, I guess’
Jaimi died at Sunshine Coast University Hospital on September 14 after a years-long battle with an eating disorder and alcoholism.
Her mother Lisa Curry, a champion swimmer, shared Jaimi with her ironman ex-husband Grant Kenny.
Curry announced Jaimi’s death in an emotional social media post on September 15.
‘Our beautiful daughter Jaimi has lost her battle with a long-term illness and passed away peacefully in hospital yesterday morning with her loving family by her side,’ she wrote at the time.
Family: Her mother Lisa Curry, a champion swimmer, shared Jaimi with her ironman ex-husband Grant Kenny (far right)
‘Our hearts are broken and the pain is unbearable but we cherish every wonderful moment we got to share with our treasured and so loved first child.’
Jaimi had been struggling for some time in the lead up to her tragic death, both with her eating disorder and a dependency on alcohol.
She first sought help for mental health ‘troubles’, including anxiety, when she was 14.
Sorrow: Jaimi died at Sunshine Coast University Hospital on September 14 after a years-long battle with an eating disorder and alcoholism
But in 2014, she was charged with high range drink driving after she was caught swerving between lanes on the Sunshine Coast Motorway.
Police pulled her over, and she was required to appear in Maroochydore Magistrates Court, where the court heard she had consumed up to 16 bottles of Strongbow cider.
She recorded a blood-alcohol reading of 0.23 per cent at the scene – almost five times the legal limit.
Jett said of her final moments: ‘We ended up all at the hospital and that was the last time I saw her. She fought all the way until the end. They took her off life support and eight hours I think she was off life support for until she finally passed away; the doctors thought it was going to be about a minute or two, so she was a fighter, that’s for sure’
Her lawyer at the time told the court she was getting help for her problems, and admitted that alcohol had become ‘a bit of a feature’ in her life since the deterioration of a romantic relationship in 2012.
Jaimi had been supported by her parents and siblings through many years of treatment at private clinic End ED, on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.
Shattered staff at the clinic said they could not discuss Jaimi’s struggle, but told how she became part of the ‘family’ over the years.
For confidential support in Australia, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit www.lifeline.org.au. Alternatively, call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800
Loss: Curry announced Jaimi’s death in an emotional social media post on September 15. ‘Our beautiful daughter Jaimi has lost her battle with a long-term illness and passed away peacefully in hospital yesterday morning with her loving family by her side,’ she wrote