The tight-knit rugby union community in Newcastle is reeling from the sudden and devastating loss of a young player, Sam Morgan. The 29-year-old father and fiancé passed away after a shockingly rapid battle with a rare and aggressive bacterial infection.
A Sudden and Brutal Illness
Sam Morgan, a fit and healthy construction worker who played for the Hamilton Hawks Rugby Union Club, first felt unwell late on a Thursday night. He woke with a high fever. By morning, his condition had deteriorated severely; he was unable to keep fluids down, vomiting, and his lips began turning blue.
His fiancée, Chloe Mills, rushed him to a doctor. He was subsequently transferred to hospital and placed in intensive care. He was diagnosed with streptococcal pneumonia, a rare bacterial infection that affects only about three in every 100,000 people in Australia and has a survival rate of just 15 to 20 percent.
A team of approximately 50 doctors worked to save him. Chloe described how Sam "rapidly deteriorated" upon arrival in ICU. His heart stopped, requiring 12 minutes of CPR to revive him. "The colour of Sam went dark, blue all over, intensely dark," she recounted.
A Fight for Life and a Community in Mourning
Despite the arrival of a specialist doctor from Sydney with an ECMO machine to support his lungs, Sam had suffered complete organ failure. He tragically went into cardiac arrest and could not be saved. Sam Morgan died on Friday, December 19th, leaving behind his fiancée Chloe and their 22-month-old son, Rome.
Tributes have flooded in from across the rugby world and wider community. His sister, Gemma, established a GoFundMe page to support Sam's young family, describing the loss as "unfathomable." She wrote of Sam as "a genuine, kind, and hardworking man who loved deeply and would do anything and everything for everyone around him."
Chloe revealed that Sam had built their family home with his own hands, dreaming of one day passing it on to his son. A primary goal of the fundraiser is to help Chloe keep the house for Rome. "I want to be able to keep the house for Rome to grow up in and know all about what his dad did," she said.
Heartfelt Tributes from Family and Club
Sam's younger sister, Layne Morgan, a player for the Australian women's rugby team, shared a moving tribute on social media, writing, "Life isn't fair but I know you'll be watching over all of us... I miss you and I love you."
His club, the Hamilton Hawks, expressed profound sadness, stating: "We are deeply saddened at the passing of our much-loved player, club member and friend, Sam Morgan... Taken way too soon, Sam will be deeply missed, but fondly remembered, by all who knew him." The club extended its heartfelt condolences to Chloe, Rome, and all of Sam's family and friends.
Chloe Mills remembered her partner as a selfless and rare individual. "He was just such a genuine, lovely person, he just gave and gave and he's never said no to anyone," she told The Daily Telegraph. "He is a really big part of the rugby world... and has a really big impact on everyone in that part of his life."
