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Honeymoon horror: Sydney bride dies in Fiji after being misdiagnosed with typhoid

Kelly Clarke and her husband Chase.

Kelly Clarke and her husband Chase. Photo: Facebook

An Australian woman has died of septicaemia while on her honeymoon in Fiji.

Sydney woman Kelly Clarke, 24, fell ill on Wednesday and was rushed to hospital with what was initially thought to be typhoid.

Ms Clarke’s sister started a fundraiser to bring her home for emergency treatment, saying she had been placed in an induced coma due to organ failure and septicaemia.

Septicaemia is an infection caused by large amounts of bacteria entering the bloodstream.

“She needs a medivac ASAP as Fiji don’t have the medications she needs,” Tam Brown wrote.

As of Sunday night, more than $40,000 had been raised from the GoFundMe page.

But Ms Clarke died before the medivac crew arrived.

Her brother in a Facebook post on Friday night said she had gone into cardiac arrest five times within an hour.

“We are so shocked,” Murray Shaw wrote.

“You beautiful girl and amazing sister you will be deeply missed.”

Kelly Clarke and her husband Chase

Kelly Clarke died during her honeymoon in Fiji. Photo: Facebook

Her husband Chase Clarke told Fairfax radio she was “outspoken, smart, courageous, and had the biggest heart”.

The couple were married in April this year.

“Me and Kelly have been through a lot, [she’s] been there for me, been my star. I couldn’t help her,” he said.

Mr Clarke told the Sunday Telegraph his wife’s parents had flown to Fiji from Sydney to help repatriate her body home.

“We’ve got a quotation to get her back in a private plane … for $61,000,” he said.

“I’m just with her parents at the moment, they’ve flown over, they’re trying to get money off their mortgage.

“We are just waiting on the police to do the full report because the blood test came back negative for typhoid.

“She was vaccinated in 2015 when she went to Thailand so they’ve ruled out typhoid but the commissioner here has put in a report for a forensic autopsy to find out the cause of death.”

Kelly and Chase at their wedding

Kelly has been described as “intelligent, beautiful, lovely and caring”. Photo: Facebook

Ms Clarke was a registered nurse at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, and a spokeswoman for the hospital offered condolences on Sunday to her family, friends and colleagues.

“Kelly was a dedicated nurse who loved working with children and will be greatly missed by her colleagues and patients,” she said in a statement provided to AAP.

The Department of Foreign Affairs is providing consular assistance to her family.

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