Jett Kenny reveals sister’s final moments

Jett Kenny has opened up about losing his sister, Jaimi, telling how she fought for hours after her life support machine was switched off.

Jett Kenny has shared the heartbreaking final moments of his sister, Jaimi, who died a year ago aged just 33.

Kenny, 26, told The Courier Mail he had just finished a lifeguardshift at the beach when his mother, Lisa Curry, called and told him to call her back when he was home safely.

“I could tell something was wrong,” he told the newspaper. “And in my head, I was like I hope – I didn’t hope this for any reason – if it’s going to be a family issue, I hope it’s Jaimi and it’s not (my other sister) Morgan or (her son) Flynn or anyone else, because I was like, our family doesn’t need to deal with more in a way.”

Jaimi Kenny (right), with mum, Lisa Curry and siblings Jett and Morgan.

He arrived home on September 13 last year, where his former ironman father, Grant Kenny, was preparing to leave for the Sunshine Coast University Hospital where his first child was on life support.

“We ended up all at the hospital and that was the last time I saw her,” Jett recalls. “She fought all the way until the end.

“They took her off life support and eight hours I think she was off life support for until she finally passed away; the doctors thought it was going to be about a minute or two, so she was a fighter, that’s for sure.

“She originally got told she may not make it to 30, and she got to 33 so she battled on with it for a long time and it was much longer than that beforehand.”

Jett Kenny’s tribute to his sister Jaimi Kenny.

The family said in a statement that Jaimi had “lost her battle with a long-term illness and passed away peacefully in hospital”.

Jaimi had been battling mental health and alcohol issues for years.

“You wish she was still here but she’s not. We were fortunate enough that we knew it was coming, it was a matter of when,” Kenny said.

Jaimi was reportedly “shattered” by the death of boyfriend Lachy Crossley in 2017.

She had just moved in when he died suddenly. The circumstances of his death were not revealed.

Jaimi Kenny pictured with her boyfriend Lachy Crossley.

Lisa Curry and Grant Kenny’s eldest daughter made headlines in 2014 when she drank 16 Strongbow stubbies from 8.30am to 10pm before getting in her car and swerving all over the road.

Her lawyer at the time told the Maroochydore Magistrates Court Jaimi had “psychological issues” and had been feeling “unstable” that day. Alcohol had been “a bit of a feature” of her life since another relationship breakdown two years earlier.

“Unfortunately (she) started consuming alcohol to self medicate and that’s obviously quickly become a problem,” her lawyer told the court.

Morgan, Lisa, Jett, Jaimi and Grant.

At the time of Jaimi’s death, Curry wrote a devastating tribute, saying her daughter’s death was “so painful” she could “barely breathe”.

“Our hearts are broken and the pain is unbearable but we cherish every wonderful moment we got to share with our treasured and so loved first child,” she said.

“Rest in peace my beautiful baby. I will miss you every sunrise, I will miss you when the sun is shining and the birds are singing … I will miss you when I close my eyes. I will miss you when I open my eyes. I will miss our long hugs and long chats.”

Jaimi Kenny (left) with mum Lisa Curry.

In May, Curry opened up about what she said had been a “sh*tty year”.

“Analysing the constant thoughts of losing our most precious firstborn, Jaimi, has been sad and exhausting. It’s overwhelming. It’s never-ending,” she wrote. “I’m tired of being tired. I’m tired of being sad and exhausted. I’m sad that the fun in my soul has disappeared. But I’m sure that’s not how our loved ones who have passed would want us to feel.

“Unfortunately, I belong to a group that no-one ever wants to be in and, sadly, it’s a group to which many belong. When you lose a child, you lose part of yourself. And for many of us, life just keeps throwing more and more at us.”

Ironman Grant Kenny with his wife Lisa Curry.

Former Olympian Lisa Curry and husband Mark Tabone.

Curry and Grant Kenny were married from 1984 until 2009 and were Australian sport’s golden couple for many years.

Curry married entertainer Mark Tabon in 2018.

Jett Kenny walks for Aqua Blu at MBFF 2019.

Jett Kenny and his dance partner Lily Cornish on Dancing with the Stars.

In addition to surf lifesaving, Jett has turned his hand to modelling and even appeared on Dancing with the Stars.

Originally published as Jett Kenny reveals sister’s final moments