In Loving Memory of Bradley James Tucek

Our lives were ripped into a billion pieces this week with the devastating news our dearly loved son, brother, brother-in-law, uncle, grandson, cousin, nephew and friend passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. We are hurting so much and have a logistical nightmare ahead of us over the coming weeks.

The circumstances of Brad’s death are heart-wrenching. Brad lived by himself in Sydney, while his parents and sister live in Perth. He spent much of the pandemic alone due to border closures and working from home. Last week he fell ill with a toothache and was sent home from a dentist with antibiotics and an inadequate level of painkillers. Brad endured a great deal of pain and suffering before dying alone in his home, on his kitchen floor. We were extremely worried when he wasn’t answering our texts and calls, but hoped he was sleeping it off. Nobody knew of his death until two days later, when a loving colleague went to check on him. We are utterly devastated by this and don’t want Brad to be alone any longer. His body is currently with the NSW coroner so a postmortem can be conducted. We want answers as to how a simple toothache can lead to a devastating loss of life, and we’re told this process may take up to six months. Following this, we would like to bring Brad’s body to Perth so he can rest in the closeness of his parents, sister and extended family. But in the meantime we are needing to travel to Sydney to deal with Brad’s affairs, pack up his house and find new homes for all his prized possessions.

I am Brad’s sister, Ally, and I would so tremendously appreciate your support to ease the financial burden on my parents, who understandably were totally unprepared for such a complete and utter tragedy in our lives. Any donation makes the world of difference at a time like this, no matter how small or insignificant you may believe it is. Unfortunately, there’s a great deal of red tape to wade through and much of the money we will eventually have access to, won’t be received until after we are needing to pay funeral and travel costs. We are also taking extended leave from our full-time jobs as we piece together our shattered hearts.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Ally Valentine xx