A fit and healthy father has died while out for a run following a suspected heart attack, leaving behind a pregnant wife and their two-year-old daughter.
Phillip Davies, 26, his pregnant wife Kat and their two-year-old daughter Millie were celebrating Christmas with his family in Newcastle.
On Boxing Day, Phillip decided to go for a run at about 10pm to try out the Garmin Smart Watch his wife bought him for Christmas, while she put their daughter to sleep.
At about 1am his wife woke up and was worried after realising her husband had not returned from his run.
Her sister Stephanie told Daily Mail Australia that Phillip’s dad and sister drove through the dark streets searching for him.
‘It took an hour or two before they found him,’ Stephanie said.
‘He had just collapsed on the side of the road. He had been already gone for quite some time at that point.
‘It was really, really hard for Phillip’s dad and sister to find him like that because he was not in a good state’.
Phillip Davies, 26, pictured alongside his pregnant wife tragically died just a day after Christmas
Kat and Millie are navigating life without Phillip (pictured), who passed suddenly from a suspected cardiac arrhythmia
Stephanie explained Phillip was a very fit and healthy young dad who regularly went for runs with the family dog – a very active German Shorthaired Pointer.
An autopsy revealed he most likely suffered from cardiac arrhythmia, which often goes undiagnosed in even the fittest people.
Cardiac arrhythmias can cause sudden death when as it disrupts the heart’s ability to pump blood.
This leads to a lack of oxygen to the brain, which can cause sudden loss of consciousness and death.
Stephanie explained the family has ordered genetic testing to determine whether Phillip had a pre-existing or hereditary heart condition.
Phillip’s sudden death was a shocking blow to his family, and his daughter who after just turning two on January 11, is still too young to understand ‘dada’ was not coming home.
‘She’s just been super fragile,’ Stephanie said.
‘If we’ve been hanging out, which she’s around me or her grandmother pretty much 24/7, and when people leave she gets very upset. She’s worried about people leaving now’.
‘Millie asks ‘Where’s dada?’ and my sister would respond “dada is gone” but she will then say “okay, i’ll see dada tomorrow” or “will see dada soon”.’
Phillip, a Royal Australian Air Force officer, had a passion for aeronautical engineering and serving his country
Kat’s strong faith is helping her through this unimaginable loss, believing she will reunite with Phillip in heaven one day
Stephanie said her sister was trying to hold herself together for the sake of her daughter and the pair’s unborn baby.
‘She’s still getting quite sick and exhausted from pregnancy, and she is trying to be strong for Millie which means she’s not had a lot of time to grieve,’ Stephanie said.
‘She’ll say things that break my heart, like in the first week she was just sitting on the floor, crying, and she said “I just want to be with Phillip”.
‘Day to day, she’s finding practical things to do to keep herself occupied, and her strong faith has really helped her in a lot of ways. She genuinely believes he’s in heaven and that she’ll be able to see him again.’
Stephanie described Phillip as a incredibly intelligent, selfless, funny, creative, patient, and kind man.
Choking back tears, Stephanie recalled watching videos of Phillip teaching his daughter how to walk, claiming he was an amazing father and ever-loving husband.
Phillip joined the Australian Defence Force’s gap year program after finishing school and completed a Bachelor of Aeronautical Engineering before working as an engineer in the Royal Australian Air Force since 2021.
The Australian Defence Force has provided Phillip’s family with support, including psychologists for Kat and Millie, as well as covering most of the cost of his funeral.
Stephanie said while funeral expenses were not ‘too much of a burden’, her sister had another major expense.
Phillip and Kat recently bought a home in Regents Park, 22km west of Sydney, and were told by building inspectors that it needed a major renovation or completely rebuilt.
Family and friends have rallied to help Kat and Millie through a GoFundMe campaign, assisting with day-to-day expenses and completing home renovations Phillip had started
‘It’s a fixer-upper and currently has no kitchen, no actual walls upstairs and a bathroom that just has a toilet and a shower head that sticks out of the wall,’ Stephanie said.
‘There’s no glass or anything and that’s where they have to do the laundry and dishes because it’s the only sink.’
Phillip did most of the renovation work himself, but now that he has passed away, Kat must organise tradesmen to complete the work.
Stephanie started a GoFundMe to help raise money to alleviate Kat’s day-to-day expenses and also help cover the costs of the renovation to give the family a home.
She explained Kat was currently without an income after resigning from her job in IT.
Wanting to help people and have a more fulfilling job, she took a 50 per cent pay cut to become a teacher’s aid starting at the end of February – but the job is in ‘limbo’ as she accepted the offer prior to knowing she was pregnant.
The Australian Defence Force bereavement team also told Kat that it would be at least six months before she received Phillip’s life insurance.
Phillip was a fit, healthy young dad who loved running with his dog and spending time with his family
Phillip’s memory lives on in the hearts of his loved ones, and his family is determined to honor his legacy.
‘Kat and Millie have been squished into mum and dad’s apartment in Zetland,’ Stephanie said.
‘She really wanted to be really close to family right now, so that she’s got people around her all the time, and near Phillip’s parents too in Strathfield.
‘But with no guaranteed income for that amount of time, nobody can live like that.
‘It sounds like cliche, but that’s obviously what Phillip would have wanted. He wouldn’t have wanted her to be in this limbo, not having a home.’
Stephanie said they were thankful for the more than 100 donations they have so far received.
‘She’s kind of shocked at how generous people are being and she’s found it very moving that people want to help her and Millie,’ Stephanie said.
‘Starting the GoFundMe was the most I could do to help my sister, she’s my little baby. I love her so much and I am just very, very sad she is having to go through this.’
