Heartbroken mum leaves five children's funeral in tears just seconds after it started
Australian mum Samantha Stephenson was unable to stay at her children's funeral due to being so heartbroken.
Samantha's five kids, Zackary, 11, Harrison, 10, four-year-old twins Kyza and Koah and Nickolas, three, all died last month after a devastating fire ripped through their family home on Russel Island, Queensland, Australia.
Her partner, Wayne Godinet, 34, also died in the fire after he went back into the house in a bid to try to save the kids.
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28-year-old Samantha shared her three youngest children with her late partner, but Wayne 'embraced' her sons from a previous relationship as well.
In a heartbreaking eulogy given at their funeral on Tuesday, 5 September, their aunt Christina insisted that Wayne 'was their dad'.
Samantha was also supposed to give a eulogy but was too grief-stricken to even attend the service.
She had turned up to Eco Memorial Park in Stapylton where the funeral was taking place, but collapsed to the ground outside the venue, local newspaper Courier Mail reported.
Around 200 people are said to have attended the service, which was a traditional Maori ceremony.
Christina said as part of her moving eulogy: "Everyone here today was looking forward to watching these five little boys grow up to become men … but along with their loving father, they were taken way too soon, leaving us to come to grips with this great loss."
She went on to praise Wayne as being a 'protector of his family' and that '[his] commitment knew no bounds'.
Another of Samantha's sisters, Angela, also spoke at the service.
She said: "I don't understand how this could happen to such innocent beings who grew their wings too soon,' she said, as per Mail Online.
"To all my boys, to all our boys. Nothing will ever fill this chasm of grief, I think I will miss you forever like the sun misses the moon and the stars as it rises again."
Ahead of the funeral, a friend of Samantha's set up a GoFundMe page to help her with any expenses.
She penned on the page: "My name's Lilly and I have started this GoFundMe for our close friend Samantha who this morning tragically lost her 5 beautiful boys and her partner in a house fire.
"We have started this go fund me to assist Samantha in the cost to putting her beautiful family to rest as in funeral services, caskets and everything else that comes with laying your family members to rest. The donations are so appreciated thank you all."
At the time of writing, over $35,000 (£28,000) has been raised.
Niamh Shackleton