The family of Australian nurse Kelly Clarke, who died from bilateral pneumonia in Fiji last week, are preparing to bring her body home.
Ms Clarke, 24, was in Sigatoka, Fiji, to celebrate her honeymoon with her husband Chase, 28, when she fell ill and was rushed to hospital.
Doctors initially thought the young woman had typhoid disease but later revealed a severe case of pneumonia took her life.
Ms Clarke’s parents flew to Fiji to be with her husband and prepare to bring her body back to Sydney, The Daily Telegraph reports.
The family of Australian nurse Kelly Clarke, pictured with her husband Chase, are preparing to bring her body home, after she died from bilateral pneumonia in Fiji
Kelly Clarke, 24, was with husband Chase when she fell ill and was rushed to hospital on Wednesday with what was initially thought to be typhoid
Ms Clarke was in Sigatoka, Fiji, to celebrate her honeymoon with her husband Chase, 28
Chase Clarke (pictured) said: ‘I spoke to her and she told me she was scared she was going to die’
Parents Graham and Karen Shaw, together with Ms Clarke’s husband Chase, are awaiting approval from Fijian authorities to fly her body back on a chartered plane.
Initial reports have confirmed the pneumonia infection Ms Clarke contracted, but have also highlighted ‘four additional minor’ causes.
‘I don’t know what to say, I’m completely and utterly devastated, it’s come as a complete shock,’ Mr Clarke told the Daily Telegraph.
‘When we’re stronger we will reveal the complete causes of death but severe bilateral pneumonia is the main one.
‘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.’
Within half an hour, her condition had deteriorated to the point where her husband Chase Clarke knew she had to go to hospital
Ms Clarke initially complained of stomach pain before being rushed to hospital
The young Australian couple (pictured together on their wedding day) were married in April
Ms Clarke initially complained of stomach pain but within half an hour, her condition had deteriorated to the point where her husband knew she had to go to hospital.
‘From the first time she said she was sick, to the critical point I took her to the hospital would have been 20 minutes,’ Mr Clarke told Nine News.
‘I spoke to her and she told me she was scared she was going to die. I told her I loved her, we’re going to get out of here, everything’s going to be OK.’
‘She’d gone into septic shock, she was panting heavily, she could barely speak to me… I couldn’t explain how much pain she had… It just happened so quickly.’
Ms Clarke had recently graduated as a registered nurse at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
The Children’s Hospital offered condolences in a statement, praising the nurse for her dedication.
Ms Clarke, 24, died on Friday night in Fiji, where she was on her honeymoon with her husband
‘We are so devastated to hear this news. Our thoughts are with you all at this sad time. Kelly was a beautiful girl,’ said one friend
‘Kelly was a dedicated nurse who loved working with children and will be greatly missed by her colleagues and patients,’ a spokeswoman said.
The Sydney woman died on Friday night while waiting for a medical evacuation team to arrive.
Mr Clarke described the agonising decision to direct medical staff to cease working on his wife.
‘I said stop and pushed everyone away and me and her mother just held her,’ he said.
‘From the first time she said she was sick, to the critical point I took her to the hospital would have been 20 minutes,’ Mr Clarke said
Doctors initially thought the young honeymooner had caught Typhoid and started her on treatment
Ms Clarke’s sister started a fundraiser after the family was told it could cost $61,000 to bring her body home.
The page has since raised over $47,000 to help cover funeral costs.
Ms Clarke’s brother, Murray Shaw said his sister went into cardiac arrest five times within an hour before she died.
‘We are so shocked,’ Mr Shaw wrote in a Facebook post.
‘You beautiful girl and amazing sister you will be deeply missed.’
Ms Clarke’s sister started a fundraiser after the family was told it could cost $61,000 to bring her body home
Friends and relatives continue to pay tribute to Ms Clarke on social media, with one co-worker remembering ‘an amazing woman, a brilliant nurse and such a kind and gentle soul’.
‘She was one of the most beautiful, caring, giving people I have ever been lucky enough to meet,’ another person wrote.
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said it was providing consular assistance ‘to the family of an Australian woman who passed away in Fiji’.
Friends and relatives paid tribute to Ms Clarke on social media, with one co-worker remembering ‘an amazing woman’
Ms Clarke was a recently-graduated registered nurse at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead
‘You (were a) beautiful girl and amazing sister you will be deeply missed,’ her brother wrote
In a statement the family described Ms Clarke as ‘an amazing human being’. The young woman pictured with her father on her wedding day in April