Trigger warning: This story may be difficult for some.Â
Every now and then, someone comes into your life that has such a profound impact. They don’t intend to, they’re just themselves. One such lady was Clarissa Glen-Norman.
I met this beautiful lady last Christmas. I actually gifted her and her family tickets to Santa’s Wonderland, an iconic Christmas spectacular held in the lead-up to Christmas in Adelaide each year.
You see, Clarissa is the mum of 7 kids. Seven. Her youngest is 18 months. She’s in love with a just as wonderful man, Brian. And so in love. And to say she was grateful for this Christmas experience with her family was an understatement.
So we head to Santa’s Wonderland and arrange to meet up. She was so grateful that I had gifted her the tickets and wanted to personally thank me. She’d brought 4 of her kids to enjoy the experience and wanted to introduce them to me.
We had the most amazing day and her daughters were so gracious and appreciative of the day, and it was lovely to see them soak up the wonderful Xmas atmosphere and have some fun! I had quizzed Clarissa about her kids in the lead up and sneakily packed a few bags of ‘xmas gifts’ for her to give to her family as they’d been going through a challenging time. Today was all about them, and boy did they have a good time!
We always get our Xmas photos at Santa’s Wonderland. The photos come out so amazing (and fun!) Check out the pic we had when ‘social distancing’ was in force  it’s one of my favourites (cheeky Santa!)
I see them as a snapshot of your family, a moment in time, and always with a happy focus.
So I booked in for our Santa pic and asked Clarissa if she’d like one too. My shout. She said she was ok, but i knew she was being polite.
But I insisted, and boy, I’m so glad I did.
The picture was perfect, and it was their first with baby Brian. Such a happy family moment with her partner Brian, daughters Ariyana (16), Sienna (12), Khloe (14) and Baby-Brian Jnr (1).
Tragedy unfolded at home
That was six months ago.
Sadly, Clarissa had a massive heart attack on Monday night at her Munno Para home.
There were no warning signs … it was just like any other night. Clarissa was lying in bed with her partner Brian and their 18-month-old son Brian Jr. It was time for him to go to bed, so Brian went to put the baby down and return.
Not more than 5 minutes later, Brian returned to their bedroom to find Clarissa non-responsive on the bedroom floor.
He quickly tried to rouse her, confused by what had happened. At first, he thought she was mucking around, but very quickly realised this was no joke when she wouldn’t respond. So he reached for a pulse and, in desperation, started CPR in an attempt to bring her back. Meanwhile, he got emergency services on the phone and sent for an ambulance to help save his wife. Brian was able to get Clarissa’s pulse back, and kept doing CPR until emergency services arrived.
I can’t begin to imagine the franticness that he faced.
By the time the ambulance arrived, Clarissa had been without oxygen for up to 40 minutes.
40 minutes since he last saw her alive.
The medical team rushed her to hospital and she was then moved directly into intensive care. Doctors quickly worked to try and stabilise the 38-year-old Adelaide mum of 7 and opted to place her into an induced coma.
She’d been without oxygen for up to 40 minutes.
40 long minutes.
The ambulance took between 15-20 minutes to arrive. That in itself would have been heartwrenching for poor Brian to deal with. We know how time stands still in these moments.
We’re still waiting on confirmation on the reason for the ambulance delay.
Tragic Announcement
The first I knew of this was from a Facebook post that Brian had posted, seeking our prayers, as Clarissa “is in an induced coma and her brain is badly damaged.”
My heart sank. What happened?
Could she get better? How bad is this?
The next day, I learnt more about what had actually happened and how long she had to go without oxygen. And how she now has severe brain damage as a result of the lack of oxygen. Some brain cells start dying less than 5 minutes after their oxygen supply disappears.
My heart sank again. What if?
Then I thought about Brian. They were so in love. She loved him so deeply and spoke about him so wonderfully. What about him? Broken.
And their 7 kids. I can’t begin to understand what they must be feeling. I can’t fathom the feelings, and I can’t stop crying.
Clarissa faced a huge battle with Endometriosis, so falling pregnant with Baby Brian was a true blessing. An IVF baby, he was Clarissa and Brian’s everything, and now he’s just 18 months old. And then this.
We always say it won’t happen to me. It’s always someone else. Until now.
I reached out to Brian. He was lost. Heartbroken (as you would expect). Nobody prepares for this.
My heart breaks for you Brian. I can’t begin to imagine how hard this is for you on so many levels.
Please take some time for you and your kids and let’s hope we can help you buy some time. It’s time to grieve, be with your family, and your support network and start to work out the way forward.
And I hope we can help you get through this. With family in WA, I bet it’s been tough. So right now, we just want you to know you’re not alone, and we’re right behind you.
Clarissa Kept on Giving
Clarissa was a very spiritual person and would always manage to find the good in even the worst of situations. She was always giving, always, and was adamant she wanted to be an organ donor.
So when Doctors advised that she had such severe brain damage with no chance of a recovery, Brian made sure he made good her wish by coordinating with the medical team for some of Clarissa‘s organs to be donated. In turn, she could help others with a fresh chance at life.
That happened last Friday, and shortly after, our beautiful Clarissa passed away.
Our hearts are shattered, and Brian is utterly devastated by the loss of his one true love. How do you even begin to plan for what comes next? The painful reality is that he now has to arrange Clarissa’s funeral, which is overwhelming in itself. On top of that, he’s trying to support his children as they come to terms with the loss of their mother.
Which leads us to this. The goal of this GoFundMe campaign is so that we can gift Brian the one thing he really needs right now … TIME.
Time to breathe.
Time to come to grips with life.
Time to support his children.
Time to focus on his mental health and that of their 7 children.
All this time, he does not have to worry about the financial pressures of their mortgage, bills, and expenses.
His family would like to  thank you from the bottom of their hearts for all of your love and support.
And for those who they don’t know personally, they thank you so much for believing in them, and for your support in breathing belief back into Brian and his family.
Any donation, no matter how small, will all add up to show your support.
Brian is deeply overwhelmed at the moment, and it’s understandably difficult for him to express his feelings. However, in the days ahead, he looks forward to sharing a few words about just how much your support has meant to him.
If you’d like to contribute to Clarissa’s GoFundMe, you can do so here.
Shine bright, beautiful lady.
