The family of a young nurse is reeling after she died suddenly on Christmas Eve.
Ashley Denness, who worked in the neonatal intensive care unit at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, was on holiday with her partner's family in the Whitsunday Islands off the coast of Queensland when she collapsed.
Her devastated mother Debbie Negru told Daily Mail Australia that Mrs Denness – who turned 34 during the trip – suffered a 'kind of seizure' after a cheerful morning of catching crabs.
An ambulance was called and Mrs Denness was rushed to Proserpine Hospital in the town of Mackay, but suffered another seizure en route.
Despite desperately trying to save her life for 45 minutes, paramedics were unable to revive her.
Ms Negru has called for the Brisbane coroner to find out'why a healthy 34-year-old woman died so suddenly'.
Ashley Denness (pictured), who worked in the neonatal intensive care unit at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, was on holiday with her partner's family in the Whitsunday Islands off the coast of Queensland when she collapsed.
“She had just told me what a great year it was and I know she didn't want to die,” Ms. Negru said.
“I hear her calling 'mommy' when I'm trying to go to sleep, which isn't much these days.
“The spark has just been taken out of our lives and we still can't comprehend this.”
Mrs Denness had worked in Alfred's Neonatal Intensive Care for twelve years, helping seriously ill and vulnerable children.
For the past seven months, she has played a role in airlifting sick and premature babies to hospital care.
Her best friend Samantha Bozinovska said it was her “dream job” and that she was “a very special nurse who touched so many lives with her irreplaceable personality, charm, humor, empathy and caring soul.”
“Ash was a beloved daughter, a loving sister and sister-in-law, a lifelong partner, a fun aunt, a trusted friend, a wonderful nurse and colleague, as well as a loving mother to her fur babies.
“She embodied everything you ever needed and wanted in a person. She made everything feel so effortless and just like home.
“Ash was the sparkle in every room.”
Colleagues paid tribute to Ms Denness (pictured left) who died suddenly on Christmas Eve while in Queensland
“She just had that presence about her. An aura she radiated. You knew she was the epitome of kindness.”
Some of Ms Denness' colleagues wrote about the qualities that made her a special presence in the neonatal unit.
“Ash was one of the nurses I worked with when she first started at NETS,” one person wrote.
'She was a great person to work with and we shared some difficult things to convey, but nevertheless she did her best and remained funny during those stressful times. She will always be in my thoughts and heart.”
Another nurse said: 'I have had the pleasure of working with Ash at RPA for over six years.
“She touched the lives of everyone she met, whether it was five minutes to years she left lasting memories of fun, love and passion for her friends, family and all the little people and their families she cared for.”
For the last seven months of her life, Ms. Denness (pictured center) did her “dream job”: transporting sick and premature babies to hospital care
“I have the fondest memories of Ash, always being the life of the party, always dancing and always being around those closest to her.”
A former trainee nurse gave a heartfelt tribute to what it was like to work with Mrs Denness.
“Ash's kindness and wisdom are part of the reason I decided I wanted to become a NICU nurse in college – learning under her and then working with her was such a privilege,” she said.
Mothers of former patients to whom Ms Denness also expressed their grief.
“Ash was a wonderful nurse at RPA and cared for our twins in the NICU,” she said.
'I will be forever grateful for the wonderful care she took of them and for the photos she took for us during our long stay at RPA. I will always cherish these memories and remember her smile, midnight sparkle and long eyelashes.”
Another colleague, Lisa Peereboom, said the world seems “darker” without her.
“You made my world better, you made me feel safe and excited for our next adventure,” she wrote.
'While we were watching TV or flying to QLD to see our favorite artists, or catching babies together or quickly calculating drugs in a rhesus with our adrenaline flowing – EVERYTHING was made even better because you were by my side was standing.
'The world seems darker. Who will now force me to wear flowers in my hair? How can I ever laugh so hard?
'I love you. I miss you. Thank you for adding sparkle to my whole life.”
a GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for the return of Ms Denness' body to Sydney, as well as funeral and other costs.
The Royal Alfred Hospital has been contacted for comment.