ABOUT AVA

Ava Rosemeyer (age 3)

"On the 3rd of February this year, our lives took a tragic and unexpected turn when our cherished three year old daughter, Ava, crawled into our car undetected.

It was a very hot day and Ava had been with her Grandad next door and said she was returning to our house (we are on one property with a wall around both houses) but in fact she went searching for something in the car, shutting the door behind her. It was not until 30 minutes later that we realised Ava was not in either house and by then it was too late. Ava had fainted and succumbed to the extreme heat.

She died two days later at the Mater Hospital in Brisbane and our world was shattered.

After two boys, Ava was a very special addition to our family and we couldn’t help but spoil her. She was absolutely adored by all of us and when Ava died, it felt like we would never recover.

We simply could not imagine a life or a future without her - it was a terrifying time.

We were at a loss as to where we could go for support when my husband found a pamphlet for Paradise Kids at the local shop.

We initially enquired about counselling for our other children but very quickly were offered support for ourselves in the form of the Parent Grief Sessions. We did not know what to expect but were so relieved to find other parents who were suffering the same loss and could completely relate to our feelings. Losing a child is something you cannot remotely prepare for and the emotions you experience are extreme and frightening at times.

At the group, we are able to openly express ourselves and hear other people's experiences which give us comfort and the realisation that we are not completely alone on this journey.

While we are all there because of different circumstances, ultimately we have all lost a child... at different ages and because of different tragic reasons but we all relate so completely to each other.

As much as friends and family try to do their best, they have not walked in our shoes so it can be a frustrating and confusing time for both sides.

We were fortunate to be able to share Mother's Day with a family we have met through the group which made the day more bearable.

We are only in the very early stages of coming to terms with the loss of our beautiful daughter but we feel very lucky to have found Paradise Kids. We still have many difficult days but, with the support, we are starting to hope for happy days once again."

Sheye Rosemeyer (Mother)