A husband and wife from South Dakota have tragically died of cancer on the same day.

Per WSAZ, Steve Hawkins, 58, and his wife Wendy Hawkins, 52, both passed away within 12 hours of each other on December 23 following separate battles with cancer.

Steve - an Emergency Medical Services Administrator for Yankton County - was remembered in a tribute penned by his colleagues at Yankton County Emergency Medical Services.

"With profound sadness we inform you that Yankton County EMS Administrator Steve Hawkins passed away on Friday, December 23rd, 2022 after battling cancer for nearly five years. He was 58," they wrote.

"Steve was hired as our administrator in June, 2009. Before coming to Yankton, Steve was a Paramedic in Cody, Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park. He began his Paramedic career in San Diego, California. In another sad turn of events, Steve's wife, Wendy Hawkins, also passed away on Friday, December 23rd, 2022 at age 52 after a short battle with cancer," the tribute continued.

The Hawkins' children were mentioned in the tribute as well: "Wendy was a devoted wife and mother who stayed at home to raise their three children, Brad, Mandi, and Trent, who are now in their 20's. Brad and Trent are still living at home, while Mandy and her fiance live in Iowa."

Steve and Wendy's son Trent has since launched a GoFundMe to pay for their respective funerals, writing: "My parents both died to cancer on 12/23/22 within 12 hours of each other.

"This has been a very tragic experience and my family and I are trying to come up with the funds too pay for two funerals. They were wonderful parents and took very good care of there family and I am trying to take care of them [sic]."

At the time of writing, the campaign has raised close to $19,000 of the original $10,000 goal.

Our thoughts are with the friends, family, and colleagues of Steve and Wendy Hawkins at this devastating time.

Featured image credit: Edward George / Alamy

The husband of the mom of two who sadly passed away after drinking too much water desperately tried to save his wife's life.

As previously reported, Ashley Summers, 35, her husband Cody Summers, and her two daughters, Brooklyn and Brynlee, had been enjoying a lakeside vacation at Indiana’s Lake Freeman during the Fourth of July weekend.

Amid the celebrations, Summers began complaining that she was feeling extremely dehydrated and severely light-headed, so she decided to drink water, but that did not quench her thirst nor relieve her symptoms.

"It was really hot, and they were out on the water. She had a headache and felt really thirsty," her uncle Deon Miller told The Messenger. "She thought she must have been dehydrated, so she drank like four bottled waters in half an hour."

Summers consumed the equivalent of four 16oz bottles within the space of just twenty minutes, per WRTV. She then returned home with her family and ended up collapsing out in the garage.

Her husband desperately performed CPR on the stricken woman after finding her passed out on the floor, and then rushed her to Indiana University Health Arnett Hospital.

"Cody gave her CPR and got her going a little bit, but by the time they got to the hospital and ran tests and everything, they had to put her on the ventilator," Deon said. "By that time, her brain had swelled enough that it shut all circulation off to her brain, and she was brain dead."

Unfortunately, Summers never regained consciousness and doctors had to break the heartbreaking news to her family that she had tragically died from water toxicity.

The late mom's death was a "real shock" for everyone, including her brother who was in disbelief when he heard about his sister’s condition, saying: "It was a shock to all of us. When they first started talking about water toxicity. It was like this is a thing?"

Water toxicity - also known as water poisoning - happens when too much water is ingested quickly, or if the kidneys retain too much water due to underlying health conditions. The symptoms include feeling unwell as well as having headaches, soreness, nausea, and muscle cramps.

The condition also can lead to insufficient salt in the blood, causing an electrolyte abnormality called hyponatremia in severe instances, per the National Library of Medicine.

The reduced sodium levels result in exterior cell fluid transiting into cells and causing swelling. In brain cells, this could turn fatal, as cited by The New York Post.

Alex Ebner, Owner of ACE Medical Company explained to The Mirror how drinking too much water can be deadly.

He said: "According to scientists, a person will only live three days without water," adding: "By staying hydrated, a person can enjoy several important benefits in quality of life: more efficient brain function, higher energy, a healthier cardiovascular system, and fewer aches and pains."

Dr. Alok Harwani, a physician at the hospital, echoed this sentiment as he told WLFI that when you are spending time outside in hot weather, you need to eat or drink things with electrolytes, like fruit, as well as plain water - as this allows your body to maintain the balance of water and sodium in the blood.

Summers' heartbroken family revealed to WRTV that she was an organ donor, and was able to donate her heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, and some of her long bone tissue - ultimately saving five other lives.

There is also a Venmo account set up for her children and medical bills. If you would like to donate, the username is @Cody-Summers-16.

Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this time.

Featured image credit: Catherine Falls Commercial / Getty

A man has been left devastated after his wife sadly died after waiting 16 hours for an ambulance to arrive.

Teresa Simpson, 54, had fallen ill at her home in Hull, UK, while suffering from diabetes and a muscle-wasting disease, and her husband, Matthew, called for help.

As reported by Sky News, an emergency lifeline cord was pulled after Teresa became confused, and the couple was put through to an ambulance crew on the phone.

However, the emergency services would not arrive at the property for another 16 hours, when Matthew dialed the emergency number again after his wife appeared "lifeless."

Speaking to Sky News he said: "Sixteen hours and 45 minutes I had to wait and they only came because I had to ring them back and say she was lifeless.

"One hundred percent I believe that if they got to my wife in six hours she would still be here now because she would have got help."

Matthew went on to explain that he is still understandably very angry with the emergency response that his wife received on the day of her tragic passing.

Speaking to Good Morning Britain, Matthew said: "They said they would send an ambulance but said they couldn't give me a time limit because they were extremely busy.

"She was still communicating with me, so if they came out within a six-hour time limit they would have realized her sugar level had dropped, they would have taken her in and she would have been in the hospital getting medical attention.

"If she had a heart attack, she would have been on a heart monitor and seen to straight away."

Matthew said he made an official complaint to the ambulance service after he lost his wife, but it will take up to 12 months for it to be investigated.

The Yorkshire Ambulance Service offered this response, via Sky News: "Our patient relations team has received correspondence from him raising concerns about our response to this incident. They will liaise directly with Mr. Simpson about specific details relating to this."

This news comes as the president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Adrian Boyle made the claim that between 300 and 500 lives are lost each week due to slow response times by emergency services.

The NHS disputes these figures but does acknowledge that the services are being stretched due to staff shortages and industrial action.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson told Sky News: "We recognize the pressures the NHS is facing following the impact of the pandemic and are working tirelessly to ensure people get the care they need, backed by up to £14.1bn additional funding for health and social care over the next two years."

Matthew and Teresa were due to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary this year.

"I've lost my wife, my best friend, and my soulmate," Matthew said.

Featured image credit: Brian Jackson / Alamy

A young couple who died days apart, just a matter of weeks after their wedding, have left their family and friends heartbroken.

Adam Hencek, 23, and Tomas Fueller, 25, who lived in Tipperary, Ireland, both unexpectedly lost their lives just a month after they tied the knot.

Adam died unexpectedly at the couple's home on Tuesday, June 2, while his husband Tomas died just three days later on Friday, June 5.

The young couple, both originally from Slovakia, were remembered in a combined cremation service in Cork last week.

The young couple were both originally from Slovakia. Credit: GoFundMe

According to local newspaper Cork Beo, the newlyweds were described as having an "energy and love of life" that was "infectious".

A notice of their death, breaking the tragic news, stated that the pair will be deeply missed by their devoted families, Adam's parents, Peter and Lubica, and Tomas' grandparents, Jozefa and Milan.

The couple's family raised thousands to help with a joint funeral

Over €12,000 has been donated to help cover funeral costs after Adam's aunt, Mirka Kohutovičová, set up a GoFundMe campaign.

On the fundraising website, Kohutovičová wrote: "I am fundraising for the joint funeral of my nephew Adam Hencek and his husband Tomas Feuller, who tragically passed away on 02.06.2026 and 05.06.2026, respectively.

"We would greatly appreciate any donations to help fund the wake and the cremation of the newlyweds."

Donations have since been paused as the target was met and exceeded.

The couple died days apart. Credit: GoFundMe

Thanking the people who donated, she shared an update saying: "We really appreciate all of the donations. We reached our goal thanks to all of your help, which we are so grateful for. Thank you all for supporting our family at this time."

Tributes poured in for the newlyweds

Friends and acquaintances of the new husbands flooded social media with tributes to the pair.

A friend of the couple said: "To my darling friend, my condolences on your passing to your family at this sad time. Especially to your beloved Tomas. You were the brightest light on this earth and I know you'll be the brightest star. You will be beyond missed."

Another one said: "So sad... Adam taught me piano briefly, he was a brilliant teacher and a gentleman.. My thoughts are with Adam's family and friends at this awfully sad time, may he rest in peace".

A third recent acquaintance added: "Very sad to hear this. We met Adam and Tomas last year through work and their energy and love of life was infectious."

Featured image credit: GoFundMe

A mother reportedly issued a plea for help over her husband's mental health just days before he allegedly killed her and their two teenage sons in a triple suspected murder-suicide.

On May 10, at around 9:45AM, deputies from the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home at Johnson Lake in Plum Creek Canyon, where they discovered the bodies of Jeremy Koch, 42; his wife Bailey Koch, 41; and their sons, Hudson, 18, and Asher, 16.

All four were found in their beds with fatal knife wounds. Authorities recovered the murder weapon at the scene.

The Nebraska State Patrol said in a press release that the deaths are being investigated as a triple murder-suicide, with evidence suggesting Jeremy fatally stabbed his wife and children before turning the knife on himself. Autopsies have been ordered, and the investigation remains ongoing.

The horrific discovery was made by Bailey’s parents, Lane and Peggy Kugler. In a heart-wrenching Facebook post, Lane wrote: “I found our two grandsons, Hudson, 18, and Asher, 16, and our daughter Bailey, and our son-in-law Jeremy, dead laying in their beds. What I saw will haunt me the rest of my life.”

Lane continued, explaining that Jeremy had “been fighting mental illness for many, many years. His depression had turned into psychosis. It was not Jeremy that committed this horrific act. It was a sick mind".

Just days prior, Bailey had shared a raw and emotional plea for help on a now-deleted GoFundMe page titled “Jeremy’s Battle: Mental Health Support Needed," Law and Crime reported.

She wrote of the years-long struggle her husband faced with severe depression and her growing desperation as his condition deteriorated. “But my husband tries to kill himself… a lot,” Bailey reportedly revealed.

The late mom explained that her husband had first been diagnosed with severe depression in 2009 and had survived at least four suicide attempts, including a horrific crash involving a semi-truck that left him with multiple life-threatening injuries, such as broken bones, a brain bleed, a punctured lung, and more.

The couple, high school sweethearts who had been together for over 25 years, were raising their two sons while running a landscaping business. But by July 2023, Jeremy was no longer able to work, and Bailey’s teacher salary was all they had.

“In March, just a couple months ago, I woke to Jeremy shaking me awake saying, ‘Something is wrong,’” Bailey wrote. “He was standing over my bed with a knife ready to end his life. I was able to talk him down and into accepting help.”

Despite several hospitalizations, Electroconvulsive Therapy, and even considering ketamine treatment, Jeremy’s condition did not improve. He stopped eating and drinking, and Bailey feared he was “slowly completing suicide.”

In her final update, shared just two days before her death, Bailey wrote that Jeremy was back home but struggling with side effects from new medication.

Despite this, she remained hopeful, explaining that they planned to visit a nearby hospital on Friday to see if he qualified for a different treatment option.

The couple's son, Hudson, had been set to graduate from Cozad High School the same day the bodies of the four family members were discovered. The 18-year-old had planned to move to California for a three-year bonsai apprenticeship.

His brother, Asher, has been described as bright and creative. Meanwhile, their mom was a beloved educator and mental health advocate who frequently contributed to the site Her View From Home.

In a tribute, the site wrote: “Bailey would be the first to tell you her story is not an easy one to hear. But the world needs it… As she liked to say, mental illness does not win. Hope does.”

Cozad Community Schools issued a statement acknowledging the tragedy: “Our thoughts are with all those impacted during this incredibly difficult time.” The graduation ceremony went ahead as planned, with grief counseling provided for students and staff.

Holdrege Public Schools, where Bailey worked, also shared their condolences, describing her as “a passionate educator, a caring colleague, and a bright presence in the school community.”

The Nebraska State Patrol is continuing the investigation with assistance from the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office, Eustis Fire & Rescue, and the Dawson County Attorney.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org.

Featured image credit: Facebook/ Bailey Koch