- Amanda Adams-Bennett’s son, Tommy, died on July 2
- His father Stan died at Tommy’s funeral on July 12.
- Now Ms Adams-Bennett’s mother could lose her home
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A mother who was burying her son suffered another death at his funeral after his father suddenly collapsed outside the chapel.
Amanda Adams-Bennett’s son Tommy, 8, died on July 2 and her entire family attended his funeral in Sydney just over a week later on July 12.
At the end of the service, Tommy’s grandfather Stan passed out as he left the chapel with his wife and was rushed to Blacktown Hospital, where he died.
Ms Adams-Bennett thought her father was initially “so overwhelmed with grief” that he fell.
“She lived for her grandchildren and had an incredible bond with Thomas,” he said. He told 7News.
Tommy died after developing a highly aggressive form of childhood brain cancer called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) in September 2023.
Ms. Adams-Bennett created a GoFundMe for his “amazing” mother who now faces the possibility of losing her home.
“I’m doing what I can to raise money for my amazing mom so she can pay for her dad’s funeral and other expenses/bills and to support her family at home,” she wrote.
Amanda Adams-Bennett’s father Stan died at the funeral of his 8-year-old son Tommy on July 12 (pictured, Tommy with his grandparents Stan and Lin)
Ms Adams-Bennett is trying to raise money for her 68-year-old mother, Lin, who she says is “too proud to ask for help” on her own.
“Our family is going through the most unimaginable grief. Two beautiful people whom we loved with all our hearts left this earth far too soon,” Adams-Bennett wrote.
‘(Mum) is not working, is not currently claiming and has never claimed Centrelink benefits.
‘Unfortunately, not only does our family have to pay for another funeral, but I also discovered that Dad still owes quite a bit on the family home.
‘Mom doesn’t want to lose her house, it’s very special to her, she and dad have lived there since they got together.
‘We will help her as much as we can, but we just lost a son and now a father and we are going through the roller coaster of grief, anger, sadness and other emotions that come with such a tragic loss.’
Stan was a devoted grandfather and he and Tommy had been inseparable, according to Ms. Adams-Bennett.
Lin and Stan had been married for more than 47 years and Ms Adams-Bennett said her father was the ‘‘The most patient, kind, respectful and honest man I know.’
“I felt very proud to be able to call him dad and our children his poppy,” she wrote.
Stan had worked as a mailman for 53 years and had recently retired without being able to enjoy his retirement.
After he collapsed, others attending the funeral performed CPR until paramedics arrived.
When he arrived at the hospital, Stan had to be incubated and a machine was needed to help him with chest compressions as his heart kept stopping.
He could not be resuscitated and died at 7:30 pm that same night.