Rhiannon Ingle
One dad has shared his daughter's heartbreaking two-word question the morning after her mum died suddenly.
The late Shari-Lee Bromley, 37, was a loving partner to Sean Croon, 48, as well as a devoted mum to her two young girls, Indigo, 7, and Sadie, 5.
She tragically passed away while she was out celebrating her graduation with a group of friends following a fatal asthma attack last month (24 November) and the family-of-three are now grieving the devastating sudden loss.
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The family previously lived in Melbourne before moving to Byron Bay with Sean telling Yahoo News Australia the area was Shari's 'happy place'.
Shari, who was a severe asthmatic, was at a dinner and then headed to the pub after for some drinks.
However, after ordering her first drink and going outside without her pals, a sudden asthma attack was triggered.
A passerby noticed something was up after it came evident Shari was struggling with her breathing and using her inhaler with Sean saying: "I don't think she could speak by this stage."
Shari's asthma could be triggered by certain preservatives with Sean explaining: "It can be found in different food and drinks, so she can't drink champagne or white wine. She would just avoid all of that."
An ambulance was called and Sean was notified of the situation and rushed to Byron Bay hospital where he was told that Shari's heart hadn't been beating properly for 20 full minutes.
Recalling the horrific day, Sean continued: "I held her hand and felt her respond to it."
Medical staff were able to detect a very faint heartbeat with Sean saying he could sense 'she was there' at the time.
However, after failing to get Shari's heart beating properly independently, she sadly passed away.
The following morning, little Indigo and Sadie ran into Sean and Shari's bedroom and asked the grieving father: "Where's mummy?"
Delivering the tragic news, Sean told his daughters he had 'really sad news' and that their 'mummy had passed away'.
"Indigo got it, she just burst into tears," Sean said before noting his younger daughter had a harder time processing the situation.
He continued: "Sadie was more bewildered, not quite getting it. We just sort of held each other and cried."
Speaking of his late partner, Sean said: "She was an angel," he said. "[She] was renowned for these random acts of kindness.
"The way she gave was authentic, she never did anything mean. She followed her heart [and] her passions. [She] inspires me and inspires others just to be a better person.
"I'd rather a year with Shari than 100 years with someone else. There's nothing quite like her love."
A GoFundMe has since been set up to help out Sean and his daughters with AU $9,500 (£5,000) currently raised out of the AU $15,000 (£7,900) goal.
You can donate to the GoFundMe here.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677