Two years ago I lost my dear friend, Dan, and today his wife and daughter are still fighting to get his life insurance paid out. My birthday used to be soon after Dan’s and we always celebrated together. We were meant to grow old together. But he’s been gone for nearly 2 years now. Please read below what his wife, Jessie, wrote on what was meant to be Dan’s 40th birthday:

On a cold winter’s night in June 2019 I took a call that changed my life. You’d collapsed at the rugby club and you were non-responsive – it didn’t look good. Three paramedic units worked on you before you were transported to the hospital, but I suspect you were already gone. You’d died one month after your 38th birthday. Our whole lives irrevocably changed. I lost my best friend and partner of 18 years. Our then 6-year-old daughter lost her Daddy; she says it still feels like half of her is missing. And I know what she means.

We’d lost your Dad Brian suddenly too...You didn’t want anyone else to go through this, especially anyone you loved. Terrified about how that might leave us if the worst was to ever happen, you took action and worked hard to set everything up for our survival. Just-in-case. Wills. Power of Attorney. Life insurance... 

Perhaps naively, we all thought the life insurance would be paid out soon after death, to help when we needed it the most. In those early days and weeks after you died I don’t remember eating. I don’t remember sleeping. In fact, I don’t remember very much at all. But I remember the family and friends around me who helped me survive them. When I surfaced for air, I put the paperwork in for the life insurance claim. I couldn’t see how else we’d survive without it.

I remember taking the call from the insurance provider when I was at work – I wasn’t going to be able to access 7 units of life insurance, 7/8 of the total, because they were ‘open’ units. These open units had to be assessed in light of your cause of death. The interim death certificate wasn’t enough. I was gutted. We had to wait for the Coroner to finalise your autopsy report and close the inquiry into your cause of death. We were advised that could take a while. And it did. In December 2020, eighteen-months after you’d died, we found out what happened.

But in the meanwhile, I’d sold our family home, our two cars and most of our possessions. I could only work part-time – I couldn’t see a way to work more hours and be able to take care of our daughter, the demands of daily life and trying to look after myself. It still wasn’t enough. So when we were able to progress the life insurance claim, we did it as soon as possible.

It’s coming up on two years since you died, and we’re still waiting for an outcome…

Super SA has had Daniel’s autopsy report for 6 months...They have had the additional medical records requested for almost 4 months. We just want Super SA to finalise the assessment of this life insurance claim soon – fairly, competently and humanely. We have waited almost 2 years for Daniel’s final wishes to be fulfilled for his family…

Dan was one of the most caring, dedicated and loving people I had the pleasure of knowing. My life will always be different from knowing him and the advice he would always lend to any friend willing to listen. 

Please sign this petition to help us fulfil his final wishes for his family.