A mother whose entire family was involved in a horror car crash has revealed the final moments she shared with her 10-year-old daughter – before making the agonising decision to switch off her life support.
Sommar Lee, 42, her husband Geoff, 44, her daughter Chloe and son Declan, 8, were all in the car when it slammed into a tree near Williams, a town 170km south-east of Perth, on the morning of May 30.
The family were airlifted with the children separated from their parents and sent to be treated at Perth Children’s Hospital – where Chloe was placed on to life support after suffering untreatable head and spinal injuries.
Mrs and Mr Lee last Wednesday made a decision that no parent ever wants to make – to shut down the life support of their daughter.
Mrs Lee took to Facebook to reveal the final moments she shared with her ‘beautiful, sassy, amazing 10-year-old’.
‘We told her how much we loved her and how much she was loved by her friends and family,’ she wrote.
Sommar Lee, 42, her husband Geoff, 44, and her daughter Chloe (pictured) and son Declan, 8, were all involved in a car crash when their car slammed into a tree near Williams, a town 170kilometres south-east of Perth, on the morning of May 30
The family were airlifted with the children separated from the parents and sent to be treated at Perth Children’s Hospital – where Chloe was placed onto life support after suffering untreatable head and spinal injuries
‘I thanked her for choosing us to be her parents. I’m so thankful this amazing girl so full of mischief and life was ours.’
Mrs and Mr Lee made the heartbreaking decision while they were still recovering from their serious injuries at Royal Perth Hospital.
Mr Lee broke both ankles and suffered spinal and internal injuries and Sommar broke her pelvis, legs and wrist.
The pair were still bed bound and relied on medical staff to transport them to the hospital where their children were being treated.
‘Physically broken laying flat on beds either side of her,’ she wrote.
‘Holding her hands either side. Our beautiful girl took her last breaths. While our hearts were breaking, shattering into a million pieces one of the angels who walk among us, wrapped Chloe in his arms and held her tight.
‘Thank you for being our arms when we couldn’t.
Mrs Lee revealed one of the hardest things during the time was breaking the news to her eight-year-old son.
‘Having to tell our son, that his other half, his best friend and sister has to go to heaven,’ she wrote.
‘That the machines breathing for and keeping her precious heart pumping need to be turned off is one of the hardest things we have had to do.
‘Especially not being able to hold him in our arms, barely able to hold his hands.’
Mrs and Mr Lee made the heartbreaking decision while they were still recovering from their serious injuries at Royal Perth Hospital
Their sudden loss has been made even more devastating with the family still too badly injured to properly mourn the passing of their loved one
Their sudden loss has been made even more devastating with the family still too badly injured to properly mourn the passing of their loved one.
‘So for now we are stuck in limbo trying to heal our broken bodies. Unable to grieve properly the loss of our beautiful Chloe Mackenzie,’ Mrs Lee said.
‘Our main goal is to get mended enough so that we can take her home to Caboolture and be with our family.’
A close family friend has started a GoFundMe to help the Lee family ‘kiss their baby girl goodbye’ as they have to wait to fly her home to Queensland from Western Australia to say their final goodbyes.
Family friend Barbara Wilkinson started the fundraiser to help the Lee family pay for medical costs to transport Chloe back to Coobulture.
‘Geoff is currently employed on a casual basis and has no holiday/sick pay. They have a house that they rent south west of Perth and a mortgage on their home in Caboolture,’ Ms Wilkinson wrote on the GoFundMe.
‘The family will be under significant financial pressure due to Geoff not being able to work and costs associated with the accident.
Chloe’s mother Sommar, 42, (pictured) broke her pelvis, legs and wrist following the car crash
‘Sommar and Geoff have expressed their wish to return Chloe to her home town of Caboolture for a funeral so that her friends and relatives have the opportunity to commemorate her short life.’
The fundraiser has already surpassed its $20,000 goal, sitting at $43,934 at the time this article was published.
The family from Caboolture, situated between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, are well known in the area for their involvement in the local schools and community.
They had recently moved from Queensland to the West Australian south coast before the tragic accident occurred.
You can help the Lee family by donating to the GoFundMe here.
Mr Lee broke both ankles and suffered spinal and internal injuries and Sommar broke her pelvis, legs and wrist (pictured, emergency services at the scene following the crash)