A fit and healthy father has died during a run after a suspected heart attack, leaving behind a pregnant wife and their two-year-old daughter
Phillip Davies, 26, his pregnant wife Kat and their two-year-old daughter Millie celebrated Christmas with his family in Newcastle.
On Boxing Day, Phillip decided to go for a run at about 10pm to try out the Garmin Smart Watch his wife bought him for Christmas while she put their daughter to sleep.
At about 1 a.m., his wife woke up and was alarmed to find that her husband had not returned from his flight.
Her sister Stephanie told Daily Mail Australia that Phillip’s father and sister drove through the dark streets looking for him.
“It took them an hour or two to find him,” Stephanie said.
‘He was just lying on the side of the road. He had been gone for a while at that point.
“It was really hard for Phillip’s father and sister to find him like that because he wasn’t in good shape.”
Phillip Davies, 26, pictured with his pregnant wife, tragically died just a day after Christmas
Kat and Millie are living their lives without Phillip (pictured), who died suddenly from a suspected cardiac arrhythmia
Stephanie explained that Phillip was a very fit and healthy young father who regularly went running with the family dog - a very active German Shorthaired Pointer.
An autopsy showed that he most likely suffered from cardiac arrhythmias, which often go undiagnosed even in the strongest people.
Cardiac arrhythmias can cause sudden death when they disrupt the heart’s ability to pump blood.
This leads to a lack of oxygen in the brain, which can cause sudden loss of consciousness and death.
Phillip’s sudden death was a shocking blow to his family, and his daughter, who turned two on January 11, is still too young to understand that ‘dada’ would not be coming home.
“She’s just been very vulnerable,” Stephanie said.
“When we hang out, where she’s with me or her grandmother pretty much 24/7, and when people leave, she gets very upset. She’s worried about people leaving now.’
‘Millie asks, ‘Where’s Dada?’ and my sister would answer ‘dada is gone’, but she would say ‘okay, I’ll see dada tomorrow’ or ‘I’ll see dada soon’.”
A Royal Australian Air Force officer, Phillip had a passion for aeronautical engineering and serving his country
Kat’s strong faith helps her through this unimaginable loss, believing that one day she will reunite with Phillip in heaven.
Stephanie said her sister was trying to keep herself together for the sake of her daughter and the couple’s unborn baby.
“She’s still getting quite sick and exhausted from the pregnancy, and she’s trying to be strong for Millie, which means she hasn’t had much time to grieve,” Stephanie said.
“She’ll say things that break my heart, like the first week she just sat on the floor crying and said, ‘I just want to be with Phillip.’
‘Every day she finds practical things she can do to keep herself busy, and her strong faith has really helped her in many ways. She sincerely believes he is in heaven and that she will see him again.”
Phillip joined the Royal Australian Air Force after school and studied aeronautical engineering at university before working as a flying officer.
The Australian Defense Force has provided support to Phillip’s family, including psychologists for Kat and Millie, and has also paid most of the costs of his funeral.
Stephanie said that while funeral costs weren’t “too much of a burden,” her sister had another major expense.
Phillip and Kat recently bought a house in Regents Park, 22km west of Sydney, and were told by building inspectors that it needed to be renovated or completely rebuilt.
Due to Phillip’s death, Kat balances between grief, pregnancy and caring for little Millie, who is still too young to understand why her ‘dada’ is not coming home.
Family and friends have rallied to help Kat and Millie through a GoFundMe campaign, helping with everyday expenses and completing the home renovations Phillip started
“It’s a fixer upper and currently has no kitchen, no real walls upstairs and a bathroom with just a toilet and a shower head sticking out of the wall,” Stephanie said.
Phillip carried out most of the renovation work himself, but now that he has passed away, Kat must organize professionals to complete the work.
Stephanie started one GoFundMe to raise money to alleviate Kat’s daily expenses and also to cover the costs of giving the family a home.
She explained that Kat currently had no income after quitting her job in IT.
Wanting a more fulfilling job, she took a 50 percent pay cut to become a teacher’s aide from the end of February – but the job is in limbo because she accepted the offer before she knew she was pregnant.
The Australian Defense Force grief team also told Kat that it would be at least six months before she received Phillip’s life insurance policy.
Phillip was a fit, healthy young father who loved running with his dog and spending time with his family
Phillip’s memory lives on in the hearts of his loved ones, and his family is committed to honoring his legacy.
“Kat and Millie are squeezed into Mom and Dad’s apartment in Zetland,” Stephanie said.
‘She really wanted to be close to her family now, so that she always has people around her, and also close to Phillip’s parents in Strathfield.
‘But with no guaranteed income for that time, no one can live like that.’
Stephanie said they were grateful for the more than 100 donations they have received so far.
“She’s quite shocked by how generous people are and she finds it very moving that people want to help her and Millie,” Stephanie said.
“Starting the GoFundMe was the most I could do to help my sister, she is my little baby. I love her so much and I’m very sad that she has to go through this.’