A 26-year-old woman died suddenly while playing cards with her parents after going into cardiac arrest.
Dani Duchatel, from Brisbane, Australia, collapsed shortly after 10 p.m. local time on Sunday during the family dinner. The woman's mother, Kay Duchatel, performed CPR on her, but was ultimately unable to save her daughter.
"It is with the greatest sadness that I inform you all that our daughter Daniella Jade Duchatel passed away peacefully last night," Kay wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old had been living at home with her parents since recovering from an operation, The Courier-Mail reported. Duchatel underwent a surgery where she had a plate inserted into her leg after breaking it around a month prior to her sudden death.
Doctors believe that a blood clot formed due to the surgery, which then traveled to her lung and caused a pulmonary embolism. This is when a blood clot that develops elsewhere in the body—often the leg—travels to an artery in the lung and forms a blockage. The pulmonary embolism may have resulted in the cardiac arrest, but the official results of Duchatel's autopsy have yet to be released.
Chantelle Lay, a friend who had known Duchatel for more than 10 years, said the 26-year-old was a very special young woman.
"Dani was a very quiet but vibrant person," Lay told The Courier-Mail. "She was jovial and funny. A very empathetic and kind human being. She was a real gentle soul. She was the kind of person who would do anything to help anyone and was very loving and supportive of everyone."
Duchatel loved quilting, reading, traveling and animals, Lay said, who added that she had recently purchased her first apartment and had dreams of traveling the world.
Lay told the newspaper that the family is "absolutely devastated" following the death of the 26-year-old, who was very close with her parents, particularly her mother.
Friend Janis Michel posted a tribute to Duchatel on Instagram in which she said she was struggling to comprehend the "pain and sadness" following the death.
"Your love and kindness was so pure and being around you made me want to be a better person," Michel wrote. "The time spent with you have been some of my happiest moments of my life, from falling asleep on the sofas watching friends to fighting off frogs in the rainforest I cherish it all and will forever remember our amazing memories and time together. I love you my sweet angel. Rest easy, and I will see you again. For now like you told me I will go gallivanting the world for the both of us. I miss you so much my sister."
Cate Carissa, who worked with Duchatel, also wrote on Facebook that she would be "deeply missed."
"Such a beautiful, smart girl that was very liked and respected. May you rest in peace Daniella," Carissa said.
Meanwhile, Lay has organized a fundraiser on GoFundMe to help support the family as they grieve their daughter. As of Friday afternoon, it has raised $16,778 AUD ($10,920) in four days, with the target set at $20,000 AUD.
"Her family would appreciate your financial support at this time. It allows them to be home, to take the time to mourn the loss of their daughter and to help pay for costs associated with Dani's funeral," Lay wrote in the GoFundMe description. "Any help big or small would be greatly appreciated."
Newsweek contacted Lay via GoFundMe for comment.
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About the writer
Aristos is a Newsweek science reporter with the London, U.K., bureau. He reports on science and health topics, including; animal, ... Read more
