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Australian sailor Jessica Watson is urging young Australians to take control of their health after her boyfriend died suddenly of a ‘catastrophic’ stroke at the age of 29.
Jessica Watson has faced many challenges during her solo journey around the world at just 16 years old, yet it is incomparable to the intense grief she felt after the death of her partner.
Ms Watson has shared her journey through the “horrendous” grief of losing her partner Cam Dale in late 2021.
The couple were about to start work on filming the movie ‘True Spirit’ about the life of Mrs Watson, when Cam suffered a minor stroke.
“He went from a totally ordinary, beautiful and exciting day to ICU for six weeks,” he said.
Jessica Watson (right) and Cam Dale (left) met when they were part of the youngest crew at the Sydney to Hobart yacht race in 2011.
Ms Watson (pictured) has opened up about the “horrendous” pain she felt when her boyfriend died suddenly in August 2021 after suffering a stroke.
He then went on to suffer a ‘catastrophic stroke’ while in hospital, passing away on August 30, 2021.
“It’s absolutely horrendous, there’s no way to soften what is really intense pain, and I have a lot of empathy for everyone who experiences something like this,” he said.
“There’s no sugarcoating it, it’s been incredibly, incredibly difficult.”
The couple met while Mrs Watson was captaining the yacht, Another Challenge, along with the youngest crew to compete in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, including Cam.
“I guess our life together really revolved around boating…and I guess in the years since we’ve had fun boating together and building a life,” he said.
“I really expected it to be something forever and I never imagined that something like this could happen.”
The cause of Cam’s stroke was high blood pressure, something he didn’t know he had until tragedy struck.
“It’s something that’s not on the active youth radar, and it really needs to be because, for us, it came out of nowhere,” he said.
We had no idea.
Cam’s stroke was caused by high blood pressure, something he didn’t know he had until tragedy struck (Jessica Watson and Cam Dale pictured)
Through her grief, Ms. Watson has relied on sailing to get by, using it as a way to reconnect with Cam after he passed.
“Sailing has really been the thing that has kept me together,” she said. ‘It’s gone from something that’s always been so important in my life, but it’s really been what’s kept me going.
“Going out on the water with a group of people who are some of Cam’s closest companions, it feels like he’s a big part of what we’re doing.”
She has also been keeping busy with the release of the film ‘True Spirit’ based on her round-the-world boat trip, starring Australian actress Teagan Croft and directed by Sydney-born Sarah Spillane.
The film, available from February 3 on Netflix, features a memorial credit for Cam, something Ms Watson said “means absolutely everything” to her.
After months of mourning, Ms Watson is now working with the Stroke Foundation to urge young Australians to get their blood pressure checked so they can avoid the same fate.
More than 27,400 Australians will have a first-time stroke in 2023 according to the Stroke Foundation, around one stroke every 19 minutes.
“It’s just not something that young people are aware of as something to be aware of, but it’s such a simple thing that we can do to control our blood pressure,” he said.
Ms Watson is now working with the Stroke Foundation to urge young Australians to control their blood pressure so they can avoid the same fate (Cam Dale and Jessica Watson pictured)
According to the Stroke Foundation, the number of strokes would be cut by almost half (48 percent) if high blood pressure were eliminated.
“I can’t stress enough the importance of having regular blood pressure checks to first identify if you have high blood pressure and then work with your GP to find ways to lower and control your blood pressure.” said Stroke Foundation Executive Director Sharon McGowan.
Ms Watson said there was no “silver side” to her advocacy of young Australians monitoring their health, but she was doing so in memory of Cam.
“For me, I can’t stop talking about him, he’s a big part of who I am.”
“It’s so horrible what happened and the impact it had on everyone, so anything you can do to help prevent that from happening to others… and it’s just a way to honor him.”