- A 34-year-old mother died during the third spinal operation
- Rebecca Kovalik celebrated her birthday eight days before
- Her relatives do not know how she “bled out” and died
A 34-year-old mother “who lit up the room” died suddenly on the operating table during surgery to relieve painful nerve damage in her back.
Rebecca Kovalik was admitted to a NSW hospital on June 9 for the operation – which was her third spinal operation.
But the south-west Sydney mum tragically bled to death during the procedure, leaving behind her husband Jay and their three-year-old son Orlando.
Her devastated loved ones still do not know what caused the “warm and bubbly” mother’s death.
Friend and work colleague Ali Skelly said they would have to wait for the coroner’s report to find out exactly what happened.
“Basically there was something that made her bleed and it was too much and she passed out,” Ms Skelly said Yahoo News Australia.
“Obviously there are risks with any operation, but at the end of the day you don’t think someone is going to die.
“You think there’s a possibility of paralysis, you don’t expect death.”
Ms Kovalik, who conceived her son Orlando through IVF, planned to undergo it again for a second child when she recovered from this latest operation.
She and Jay struggled “for a long time” to have their son and were left with one embryo.
Mrs Skelly said the children’s teacher loved children and always had great ideas for activities with the children.
Devastated friends and family posted tributes to the swimming instructor, calling her the ‘best mum’ with an ‘infectious laugh’.
“I know it sounds cliché but Beck really lit up the room,” a friend posted on social media on Friday.
“(She) had an infectious laugh and once she started, she couldn’t stop. She was full of love… for everyone.
The friend added that her best memory was when Jay popped the question in such an amazing way that it “showed every man proposing to his partner”.
“These two were the epitome of a true love story,” she wrote.
“Thank you for all the laughter and friendship. This doesn’t seem real.
Her older brother, Jeff Trevena, remembered her as great at organizing huge family tasks, which were no easy task.
“(She had) a passion for her nieces and nephews and always wanted to make sure she got the whole family together … aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents,” he said.
Mrs. Skelly started a GoFundMe page to give his girlfriend “the send-off she deserves” while supporting Jay and Orlando with medical expenses and paying off the mortgage.
“And everything else that comes with these terrible tragedies,” she said.
The crowdfunding page has raised a whopping $19,083 by Saturday, surpassing its $15,000 goal.
Ms Skelly posted a touching tribute to the mum on the page.
“We love and miss you so much Beck. Gone too soon but will forever hold a permanent place in our hearts,” she wrote.