Tributes for Adelaide girl Sienna Walker-Brown, who died from brain aneurysm at school
At just 11, Sienna Walker-Brown was a caring and conscientious girl. But tragedy struck on Thursday when she suffered a sudden brain aneurysm at her school.
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Sienna Walker-Brown was the kind of person who would often give compliments to passing strangers, just to make them feel good.
Unconcerned with fashion, fancy hairstyles or the latest trends, the 11-year-old Seaford girl was wise beyond her years and took pleasure in the simple things in life.
But hers was cut devastatingly short after she suffered a sudden brain aneurysm at school just after midday on Thursday and never regained consciousness.
Staff at All Saints Catholic Primary School, in Seaford, valiantly tried to help the Year 6 student before paramedics arrived and took over.
Sadly, there was nothing that could be done to save the bright and bubbly youngster, and she passed away at Flinders Medical Centre on Saturday.
Sienna’s passing has sparked an outpouring of grief within the community and on social media, with hundreds of people paying their respects to the much-loved schoolgirl.
Sienna’s heartbroken parents Matthew Walker-Brown and Marie Sulda have also bravely paid a touching tribute to their daughter.
“Nothing ever prepares you for losing a child – she was a happy, healthy girl one moment and the next she suffered from an unexpected aneurysm which took her within minutes, never to return to us again,” they told The Advertiser.
“It’s a hard moment to look back on the last 11 years and wonder if you could have squeezed more time out of it.
“We just feel so lucky to have been able to spend 11 special years with such a wise and smart girl who taught us so many lessons.”
The couple described Sienna as a nature-loving child, who loved school, her friends and her teachers, and was always thinking of others.
“When we would walk down the beach, or venture to the shops, she would randomly compliment strangers; sometimes it was that she thought they had a nice hat, she loved their hair or their dog,” they recalled.
“She always told us she didn't mind what people thought because it was important that we all took the time to make people feel special about themselves and brighten up their day.”
Mr Walker-Brown and Ms Sulda said Sienna “gave everything a crack, from lifesaving to football, because she never worried about winning and losing”.
“She just wanted to accomplish things for herself,” they said.
“She couldn't understand why the world was so focused on busyness, needing things and how we weren't paying attention to pollution, when what should be important is noticing what is around us from a seedling sprouting to birds flying in the sky.”
The couple said they, and Sienna’s sister Geneva, would miss her dearly.
“Life will never be the same without our angel girl, but she would want the world to stop and think and look around and realise that life is what happens in the smallest of moments,” they said.
“Be kind to each other, be kind to our planet and don't waste this beautiful experience, because she never wasted a moment, she saw beauty in everything and everyone.”
In keeping with Sienna’s selfless spirit, Mr Walker-Brown and Ms Sulda have donated their daughter’s organs – something they know she would have wanted.
“Sienna was so strong; she believed in herself which allowed her to always think about other people,” they said.
“We knew Sienna would have wanted to donate her organs to help other children in need, so when we knew Sienna's journey was over it was an easy decision to honour her.”
The couple also wanted to thank the staff at All Saints Catholic Primary School and Flinders Medical Centre for showing such “love, compassion and care” for their daughter and family.
They will be organising a nature walk in her honour in the coming weeks.
