Young nurse Ashley Denness who treated newborns 'suddenly and tragically' dies on Christmas Eve

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The family of a young nurse are reeling after she suddenly died on Christmas Eve.

Ashley Denness, who worked for Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, was holidaying with her partner’s family in the Whitsunday islands off Queensland, when she collapsed.

Her devastated mother Debbie Negru told Daily Mail Australia that Ms Denness – who turned 34 during the trip – suffered a ‘kind of seizure’ after spending a happy morning crab-catching,

An ambulance was called and Ms Denness was rushed to Proserpine Hospital in the city of Mackay but had another seizure on the way there.

Despite desperately trying to save her life for 45 minutes, hospital emergency medics were unable to revive her.

Ms Negru has called on Brisbane’s coroner to find out ‘why a healthy 34-year-old woman has died so suddenly’.

Ashley Denness (pictured), who worked for Sydney ‘s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, was holidaying with her partner’s family in the Whitsunday islands off Queensland, when she collapsed.

‘She had just told me what a great year it’s been and I know she didn’t want to die,’ Ms Negru said.

‘I hear her calling ‘Mum’ when I try to go to sleep which isn’t much these days.

‘The sparkle has just been taken out of our lives and we still cannot comprehend this.’

Ms Denness had worked for the Alfred’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for 12 years and helped critically sick and vulnerable children.

In the past seven months she had in a role transporting sick and premature babies to hospital care by helicopter.

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, wit, empathy and caring soul’.

‘Ash was a cherished daughter, loving sister and sister-in-law, adored life long partner, fun auntie, trusted friend, an incredible nurse and colleague as well as a loving mum 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 that 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 that she gave off. You knew she was the epitome of kindness.’

Some of Ms Denness’s colleagues wrote about the qualities that made her a special presence in neo-natal 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 few difficult cases together to transfer but despite that, she did her best and kept her funny self during that high stressful times. She will always be in my mind and heart.’

Another nurse said: ‘I had the pleasure with working with Ash for over 6 years at RPA.

‘She touched the lives of everyone she met whether it was 5 minutes to years she would leave ever lasting memories of fun, love and passion for her friends, family and all the tiny humans and their families that she looked after.’ 

For the last seven months of her life Ms Denness (pictured centre) did her ‘dream job’ of transporting sick and premature babies to hospital care

‘I have the fondest memories or Ash, always the life of the party, always dancing and always around those closest to her.’

A former trainee nurse paid a heartfelt tribute about what it was like to work with Ms Denness.

‘Ash’s kindness and wisdom is part of the reason I decided I wanted to be a NICU nurse during my studies – to learn under her and then work alongside her was such a privilege,’ she said.

Mother’s of former patients that Ms Denness also expressed their grief.

‘Ash was an incredible nurse at RPA and looked after our twins in the NICU,’ she said.

‘I will be forever grateful for the amazing care she took of them and the photos she captured for us throughout our long stay at RPA. I’ll always treasure these memories and remember her laugh, midnight sparkle and long eyelashes.’

Another colleague, Lisa Peereboom, said the world seem ‘dimmer’ without her.

‘You made my world better, you made me feel safe and you made me excited for our next adventure,’ she wrote.

‘Laying around watching TV or flying to QLD to see our favourite artists, or working together catching babies or quickly calculating drugs in a resus while our adrenaline was pumping – EVERYTHING was made more wonderful because you were by my side.

‘The world seems dimmer. Who will force me to wear flowers in my hair now? How will I ever laugh so hard?

‘I love you. I miss you. Thank you for sparkling all over my life.’

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for Ms Denness’s body to be brought back to Sydney, as well as for funeral and other costs.

The Royal Alfred Hospital has been contacted for comment.