Four children are struggling to process an ‘unthinkable loss’ after their parents died just seven months apart.
Elaine and Scott Conley left behind twins Aidan and Max, 19, Keira, 15, and Shea, 11, in a tragic few months that has left the family utterly devastated.
“It’s unfathomable … and so horrific,” Elaine’s sister Diane Fucci told TODAY.
Elaine, 52, died last month, a year after being diagnosed with leukaemia, just seven months after her husband Scott, 52, died of a heart attack in March last year.
Elaine was an occupational therapist and Scott a detective – and their deaths have also impacted their community of Topsfield, Massachusetts, which has raised more than $300,000 to support the children.
Elaine was diagnosed with leukaemia in October 23, on her and Scott’s 23rd wedding anniversary.
“She hadn’t felt good for a few months but she didn’t know if it was menopause,” Diane explained.
After undergoing chemotherapy, Elaine needed a bone marrow transplant, with Diane chosen as the donor.
On March 23 last year, Elaine was in hospital to undergo the bone marrow transplant, but was unable to contact Scott at home. She was concerned because he’d been feeling unwell and was being treated for heart issues. A neighbour was sent to check on Scott, and they discovered he’d died in his sleep.
The bone marrow transplant was postponed until May to allow the family time to process Scott’s death. But after the operation, Elaine suffered with complications for months.
“She could not catch a break,” Diane explained. “Anything that could go wrong, did go wrong for her. It was just horrible.”
Diane says in the last week of her life, her sister was content.
“She was so happy to be home and we sat at the table and she did homework with Shea.” But one night, Elaine told her sister, “She said, ‘I’m sick, I’ve been vomiting and … have a headache … I just don’t feel good.”
Elaine was taken to hospital via ambulance, with a scan discovering she had a brain bleed. She died 12 hours later.
“After all this fight, that’s what got her,” Diane said. “It was shocking — it’s still not real to any of us.”
Diane now has custody of her sister’s two younger children, and is planning to move so they can keep attending their schools.
“We tell them that what they’re seeing is an outpouring of love … it’s a reflection of who they are — and who their parents were.”
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