Redcliffe nurse Chelsea Lategan was a fighter who battled leukaemia and endured countless hospital stays and treatments for a decade. She never allowed her disease to define her and lived her life to the fullest up until her death.
Despite her health struggles, Chelsea pursued her dream of becoming a nurse at the Redcliffe Hospital ICU, caring for others with the same compassion and dedication she showed in her own life. She was a bright light in the lives of her patients and colleagues, always ready with a smile or a kind word.
But perhaps Chelsea’s greatest joy was her husband, Dirk, her high school sweetheart. Amidst the challenges they faced, the couple built a beautiful life together and filled their home with rescued animals.
Sadly, that future was cut short when doctors told Chelsea that she would need a lung transplant. Her body had been weakened by years of illness and treatments, and the transplant was her last hope.
On March 2023, after Chelsea fainted in her home, the doctors told her that lung capacity had dwindled to just 18 per cent, and a transplant was no longer possible.
The Redcliffe nurse spent her final days at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, surrounded by her loved ones. Dirk stayed by her side, holding her hand and talking to her as she struggled to breathe. They talked about their plans for the future, even though they knew those plans would never come true. They laughed and joked, trying to keep the fear and sadness at bay.
And then, on the 4th of April 2023, Chelsea slipped away peacefully in her sleep. She was only 28 years old.
Dirk was heartbroken, but he knew that Chelsea had lived her life on her own terms. She had never let her illness hold her back, and she had never lost her passion for helping others. He was proud to have been her husband, and he knew that she would live on in the memories of everyone who had known and loved her.
At her funeral, Chelsea was remembered as a beautiful, strong, and compassionate woman. Her friends and family spoke of her infectious smile, her unwavering optimism, and her deep love for those around her. She had touched so many lives in her brief time on this earth, and her legacy would live on long after she was gone.
To learn more blood cancer and leukaemia, check out the Leukaemia Foundation.
Published 3-May-2023