Mother's selfless final act revealed as she dies just six weeks after giving birth to her first child
GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND: Shannon Sime, a 29-year-old British hairdresser living on the Gold Coast, suffered a stroke on Friday, August 5 and tragically died just three days later. She was a new mother having given birth to Harlow, the first child she had with husband Scott Sime, just six weeks ago. The father is now a grieving single dad left to raise their baby girl on his own as he tries to makes peace with the untimely death of his young wife.
Shannon's final deed of charity was to give her organs, which has already helped five people. Her heart was given to a person with only 24 hours to live. Scott wrote a heartfelt Facebook post as he described his hardship, "Shannon is the most amazing person I have ever met. She has made this world a much better place and I am comforted to know how many positive impacts she has had on the lives of people from all corners of the world."
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Ten years ago, the couple immigrated to South Australia from the UK. Since then, they had established a life together, living for long periods of time in Adelaide, Melbourne, and most recently the Gold Coast. In his statement, Scott expressed his "eternal gratitude" for his wife's decision to "live life" with him.
"I'm amazed by all the amazing things we were able to achieve together and how even after everything she's been through, she was still able to find the strength to live each moment like it was her last, and so selflessly to be who she is," Scott stated.
Shannon was "loved by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing her," according to tributes from family and friends who are mourning her passing. Daniel O'Hara, a close friend of the couple, said Shannon's stroke struck "out of the blue" and that she wasn't feeling sick at the time.
O'Hara told Daily Mail, "It was extremely tough, we were so close to them but as far away in Adelaide as they are on the Gold Coast." Shannon is noted for being extraordinarily selfless, giving away her Christmas to feed the hungry and cut the hair of women who had been the victims of domestic abuse. O'Hara and his wife have started a GoFundMe page to support Scott financially while he takes time off from his crane operator job to take care for Harlow. According to O'Hara, he and his wife became close to the couple after meeting them in 2013 when they were both residing in Adelaide.
O'Hara acknowledged Scott and said, "He's a shell of the man he was and I think he's struggling with even knowing how to be a father. But he's incredibly strong. I couldn't imagine having to organize a funeral for my wife when I was 29, but Scott did it, and basically all by himself." Shannon was praised by "everyone she met," according to O'Hara. "Everyone fell in love with her and Scott, they were contagious. She always had a smile on her face and a positive attitude about everything," O'Hara said.
Scott's parents had to travel to Australia to attend Shannon's memorial ceremony because Scott is from the UK and has no family in Australia. Fortunately, the Simes have a significant group of friends in Adelaide who are helping the grieving father. To generate money for Scott, stroke research, and organ donation, O'Hara arranged a charity soccer game and silent auction.