The nine-month-old baby girl, whose mother died protecting her when they were stabbed in the Westfield Bondi Junction knife attack, is finally on the mend, relieved officials revealed on Monday.
The infant’s mother, Dr Ashlee Good, 38, was among six innocent shoppers who were killed in the horrific random attack in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on Saturday. She was a trained osteopath and a first-time mother.
The baby was rushed to Sydney Children’s Hospital at Randwick in a critical condition on Saturday night.
But NSW health minister Ryan Park revealed on Monday that her condition had improved.
The baby’s mother, Ashlee Good, 38, was among six innocent shoppers who were killed in the horrific random attack in Sydney’s Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday
Six people were stabbed to death at Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday (pictured left-right, Jade Young, 47, Pikria Darchia, 55, Dawn Singleton, 25, Yixuan Cheng, 27, Ashlee Good, 38 and Faraz Tahir, 30.
‘No doubt our country has been holding its breath to see how the little baby, nine-month-old child, is going at Randwick Hospital,’ he said.
‘And this morning I asked for an update around how that baby was tracking, in terms of her condition.
‘I was delighted to be informed she has been moved from critical to serious.
‘That is a big change and a significant improvement, and what we hope to do is to be able to get that baby on the ward over the coming days.
‘That would be a great outcome.’
He added: ‘Her dad, and her family, are receiving significant support, as you could imagine, but in the darkest of times comes sometimes the brightest of lights.
‘I think that is something that our whole country was holding its breath and hoping that she started to improve and, certainly, over the last 12 hours or so we’ve seen that improvement.’
The update came after Dr Good’s family issued a statement on Sunday afternoon.
‘Today we are reeling from the terrible loss of Ashlee, a beautiful mother, daughter, sister, partner, friend, all round outstanding human and so much more,’ it read.
‘We appreciate the well-wishes and thoughts of members of the n public who have expressed an outpouring of love for Ashlee and our baby girl.
‘We are so grateful for the expert care and attention of the medical team at Sydney Children’s Hospital.
‘We would also like to thank the New South Wales Police for their kindness and diligence in this tragedy and emergency services for getting our baby the care she needed as quickly as possible.
‘To the two men who held and cared for our baby when Ashlee could not – words cannot express our gratitude.’
The dying mother threw her injured baby into the arms of two strangers and selflessly begged them to help the infant.
The hero who took the baby was identified on Nine News shortly after the tragedy.
‘The baby got stabbed and yeah, the mum got stabbed,’ he said. ‘The mum came over with the baby and threw it at me.’
The man said he used clothes from a store to try to stem the baby’s bleeding.
‘I just helped by holding the baby… and trying to compress the baby,’ he said.
The two brothers stayed with the mother as they waited for emergency services.
Just hours before the horror unfolded, Dr Good posted a photo to Instagram with her daughter in her arms.
The two brothers used clothing and shirts from a shop to try and stop the baby’s bleeding
Just 12 weeks after her little girl was born, Dr Good posted a heartfelt message to social media about being a mother.
‘It’s almost too much to put into words,’ she posted.
‘The love. The happiness. The fears. The new world. The new me; one that I’m still discovering as I enter motherhood and complete the so-called fourth trimester.
‘It’s like experiencing your heart swell with love whilst navigating anxiety for the first time.
‘Feeling so proud, and then so overwhelmed. The dichotomy of it all.
‘Pure joy and extraordinary exhaustion blended with emotions you’ve never felt before.’
She went on to say that it’s a parent is ‘the most outstandingly beautiful gift one can ever receive’.
She added: ‘Sitting here feeling so deeply thankful, and still pinching myself she’s ours.
‘I love her so much.’
Dr Good was one of six people killed, including five women and one man. Additionally, 12 others, including Dr Good’s baby, were seriously wounded before knifeman Joel Cauchi, 40, was shot dead by police.
Investigations continue and a lengthy coronial inquiry will examine the violent and horrific crime but the mentally ill attacker’s motive might never be conclusively known, NSW Premier Chris Minns said.
‘The truth of the matter is that there are a lot of women in NSW hospitals and women were targeted by this attacker,’ he said.
‘It’s been a terrible day, a terrible weekend for Sydney and NSW and there’s millions of people that are grieving at the moment.’
Shoppers were evacuated into shop store rooms to escape the killer
Shoppers run though Bondi Junction as police lock down the centre following reports of a major incident
Emergency vehicles flooded the Bondi area in the aftermath of the attack
Among the victims was Dawn Singleton, the 25-year-old daughter of multi-millionaire businessman John Singleton, along with architect Jade Young, 47, security guard Faraz Tahir, 30, and artist Pikria Darchia, 55.
The identity of the sixth victim, 27-year-old Chinese woman Yixuan Cheng, was revealed on Monday.
Cauchi’s estranged family said they were devastated by his actions, expressing sorrow for the people he killed.
‘Joel’s actions were truly horrific and we are still trying to comprehend what has happened,’ they said in a statement.
‘He has battled with mental health issues since he was a teenager.’
His family added they had no issue with the lone female police officer, Inspector Amy Scott, who shot their son, saying she was only doing her job.
Elliott Rusanow, chief executive of Scentre Group which owns the shopping centre, offered condolences to the family of Mr Tahir, and praised his bravery and that of another security worker who was also injured in the attack.