The Newcastle rugby union community has been left shattered by the tragic and sudden passing of beloved father and partner Sam Morgan, aged 29.
Sam, who played for the Hamilton Hawks Rugby Union Club, had worked in construction and was otherwise fit and healthy before he contracted an aggressive illness known as streptococcal pneumonia.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, his fiancee Chloe Mills paid tribute to her husband: ‘He was just such a genuine, lovely person, he just gave and gave and he’s never said no to anyone, really rare person to meet.
‘He is a really big part of the rugby world, he played for the Hawks and Wildfires and has a really big impact on everyone in that part of his life.’
He had not felt symptoms until late on Thursday night, when he woke up with a high temperature.
In the morning, Sam was unable to keep fluids down, vomiting while his lips began to turn blue.
The Newcastle rugby union community has been left shattered by the tragic and sudden passing of beloved father and partner Sam Morgan (Pictured with his fiancee Chloe Mills, and son Rome)
He was rushed to the doctors by his fiancee Chloe Mills, before he was transported to hospital and placed in intensive care.
Streptococcal pneumonia is a very rare bacterial infection that affects around three in every 100,000 people in Australia and has a survival rate of between 15 to 20 percent.
A team of around 50 doctors had attended to Sam in hospital as they tried to save his life.
However, Chloe says her fiance ‘rapidly deteriorated’ when arriving in intensive care.
‘His heart stopped beating so they performed CPR for 12 minutes and actually were able to bring him back,’ Chloe said.
‘The colour of Sam went dark, blue all over, intensely dark.
‘Once the doctor arrived from Sydney with the ECMO machine to support his lungs, Sam had gone into complete organ failure, and the doctor warned us he could go into cardiac arrest and unfortunately, that did happen quite quickly.’
Sam sadly passed away. He leaves behind his fiancee Chloe and his 22-month-old son, Rome.
Sam tragically passed away last week after being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of pneumonia
Tributes have poured in from the rugby world and those in the wider Australian community, with family members having now established a GoFundMe page, to raise funds to support Sam’s young family.
‘For everyone that knew my brother Sam, we are all hurting with the loss of an amazing human being,’ Sam’s sister Gemma wrote on the GoFundMe page.
‘I am starting this fund to help support Sam’s 22-month-old baby boy and his devoted fiancee who have been left without a huge part of their little family.
‘The sudden passing of our Sam, who was just 29 years old, is unfathomable. Sam was taken far too soon from us by a rare and aggressive form of streptococcal pneumonia sepsis, a condition that affects only around three in 100,000 people and carries a survival rate of just 15–20 percent.
‘The illness progressed rapidly, overwhelming his body and leading to organ failure despite every effort to save him.
Gemma added: ‘Sam was a genuine, kind, and hardworking man who loved deeply and would do anything and everything for everyone around him.
‘He took immense pride in his home – a home he built with his own hands with the dream of one day passing it on to his beloved son, Rome.’
Chloe is hoping to use the funds raised by the GoFundMe to help keep their house, which Sam built for his young family to live in.
Sam’s rugby club, the Hamilton Hawks, paid tribute to the beloved club member
‘He would have wanted his son, his little boy, to have some sort of memory of him and the memory is us trying to keep the house because Sam built the house with his bare hands and everything about it is him,’ Chloe said.
‘I want to be able to keep the house for Rome to grow up in and know all about what his dad did.’
Sam is also the elder brother of Australia women’s player Layne Morgan, who published a moving tribute to her brother.
‘There is so much I want to tell you, there is so much more to say, but at the end of the day I wish I could just get one more hug from you,’ Layne wrote on Facebook.
‘You really did give the best hugs ever. Life isn’t fair but I know you’ll be watching over all of us, surrounded by family and love up there as well. I miss you and I love you.’
Sam’s rugby club, the Hamilton Hawks, paid tribute to the beloved club member.
‘We are deeply saddened at the passing of our much-loved player, club member and friend, Sam Morgan,’ the club wrote on Facebook.
‘Sam passed away last Friday, December 19th in hospital after a sudden illness.
‘Taken way too soon, Sam will be deeply missed, but fondly remembered, by all who knew him.
‘Our hearts are with his fiancee Chloe, their beautiful son Rome, and all of Sam’s family and friends as they navigate this unimaginable loss.’
The statement added: ‘Rest easy, Sam. You will always be part of our Hawks family.’
Support Sam’s family by donating to his GoFundMe Page here.