Inquest into Rosemarie Campbell's death three days after gastric bypass surgery hears of 'massive loss' to family
This was one of the last things Rosemarie Campbell said to her husband before she died at their Gold Coast home in 2022.
Three days prior, the 62-year-old had undergone gastric bypass surgery at the Wesley Hospital in Brisbane.
The operation was performed by Dr Vahid Reza Adib, the partner of former Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
Her death has been the subject of a coronial inquest held in the Coroners Court in Brisbane this week.
Witnesses including the bariatric surgeon, nursing staff at the hospital, and other medical experts gave evidence at a two-day hearing which wrapped up on Tuesday.
Her family, who were there on both days, submitted statements to the court which were read on their behalf before the inquest was adjourned for findings.
Ms Campbell's husband, Shane Campbell, said on the day he took his wife home from the hospital, she was in pain.
He said she went to bed at 5pm, but woke through the night, and in the early hours she had to take pain relief medicine to go back to sleep.
"In the early or mid-morning, I recall my wife saying 'I think I made a mistake with that surgery'," he said in his statement.
He said he went downstairs to get her some water, but by the time he brought it back, she was unresponsive.
Ms Campbell's three children also gave statements to the coroner about their mother, describing her as a dedicated grandmother to all of her grandchildren.
One of her son's Robert Hicks said "mum lived for her grandkids".
"Her spoiling of them was next level" he said in his statement.
All three of Ms Campbell's children said she had a new lease on life and was feeling happy and energetic after an earlier gastric sleeve procedure she had in 2020.
They said she was also excited about a new home she had been building, which was located equal distance between where all her children and grandchildren lived.
Ben Hicks, the youngest of the siblings, said "mum was my three-year-old's best friend" and she was heartbroken when she found out about her "sudden passing".
"[Mum would] move heaven and earth for her," he said.
He described his mum as "kind, welcoming and well loved".
"She was a nurturing presence, not just to her own children but to everyone who visited her home," he said in his statement.
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