She was an intensive care unit and theatre nurse, rising to the rank of Captain. Her military career included several tours of Kosovo and going to Africa as part of an ongoing medical aid team to tackle Malaria. After serving for nine years Sharon left the Army and went on to work in a GP practice.
He added: “We were two people that loved one another and got on with one another. It was just a joy to get up in the morning, and a joy to go to sleep at night.”
COPING ALONE
In 2011 Sharon unexpectedly died, after having a seizure, which caused her to fall from a fence at home onto a concrete patio, where she suffered a fatal head injury.
Wayne and their seven year-old son found Sharon and, despite her being rushed to hospital, she never regained consciousness and died. Wayne said it “was the worst day of my life.”
“This isn’t fair at all – a caring person who served her country and looks after people, why’s this happened? How are we going to cope?”
Wayne was immediately faced with some major challenges. In addition to the grief, Wayne faced the stresses of suddenly being left as a lone parent and having a reduced household income. He was put in touch with the OA and felt from the start of his phone call to them that the charity wanted to assist him.
HOW THE OA HELPED
The OA initially helped Wayne with a contribution towards the funeral costs, and has subsequently provided additional grants to help him and his son with living expenses when needed. Wayne also knows that he can always contact the OA for advice and guidance.