A father-of-two who died after catching the flu at 32 has been remembered as an ‘outgoing guy who had a heart of gold’, as his family claim he would be alive today if paramedics had admitted him to hospital.
Eli Eyb, 32, was left bedridden for a week after catching the extremely common illness influenza A strain at his son’s seventh birthday party on the second weekend in July.
His family thought he was getting better after paramedics told him he was over the worst of it when they visited his home in the Hunter Region of NSW on the morning of Friday, July 19.
But Mr Eyb’s partner, Skye, was horrified to discover he had passed away in his sleep two days later on Sunday morning when she could not wake him.
NSW Ambulance have since launched an investigation.
‘He absolutely adored and loved his children and his missus,’ Eli’s father, Neil, told Daily Mail .
‘He was an outgoing guy who had a heart of gold. It’s got to be a very massive funeral.
‘He used to play football as a kid and has all these footy mates. He loved motorbikes. He loved fast cars.’
Neil relived the horror of discovering his son had died in the night.
‘His partner wasn’t sure because she was shaking him, just thinking he was in a deep sleep,’ he said.
‘But then she realised that his eyes were open and he was cold.’
Neil, who was a registered nurse for 40 years, said his son worked with engineered stone for several years before switching to becoming an apprentice cabinet maker after he suffered damage to his lungs.
‘His missus was telling me that when he came home from work, he was covered in white silicon dust from the granite,’ Neil added.
‘He would not cuddle his children until he had showered and cleaned up because it was all through his beard and clothes.
‘He didn’t want his family getting exposed to this dust.’
A ban on engineered stone, which is often dubbed ‘modern day asbestos, came into force in on July 1 after a rise in silicosis diagnoses in those who worked with benchtops, slabs and panels.
Silicosis is a type of lung disease caused by breathing tiny bits of silica, commonly sprayed into the air when cutting engineered stone.
‘When my son was there working and cutting the granite, there was no PPE, no nothing,’ Neil added.
‘It was last year that he had a really bad time with his lungs, struggling breathing and all that sort of stuff.
‘He did go and have scans and everything done and, from what I can gather, they did find black dots on his lungs.’
However, Neil said the coroner’s report made no mention of the possible role silicosis had to play in his son’s death.
‘His lungs were full of crap and he had a very severe throat infection,’ Neil added.
‘And so my understanding of that is that he drowned in his own fluids.’
With his four decades’ experience as a nurse, Neil believes his son should have been admitted to hospital.
‘For the paramedics not to pick up pneumonia in the severity that it was and to tell him that he was okay, that he was coming out the other side of it, is wrong.
‘You can tell if someone’s got pneumonia by listening to the back of their chest, and I don’t know if they did that.
‘If they had taken him, he would be alive today.’
A spokesperson for NSW Ambiance said the organisation ‘extends its sincere condolences to the family and friends of Eli Eyb’.
‘The safety of our patients is always our top priority,’ they added.
‘An internal investigation is underway, and we will engage with Mr Eyb’s family as this review progresses.
‘As the matter is under review, it is not appropriate to provide further comment at this time.’
Mr Eyb had been due to marry his partner Skye next year on their tenth anniversary and the couple were planning to honeymoon in Japan.
Skye is planning to change her last name to his to become a ‘fully formed member of the family’, Mr Eyb’s father said.
He leaves behind a son, Seth, 7, and a five-month-old baby girl, Ingrid.
A GoFundMe page, set up by Neil’s wife and Mr Eyb’s stepmother, Lynell Eyb, has so far raised over $8,000 for his funeral expenses.
‘Losing a husband and a father so unexpectedly is something that will never be healed,’ Ms Eyb wrote.
‘This family will never be the same without him , and neither will anyone that had the pleasure of knowing him
‘He was so incredibly kind caring, goofy and fun and loving and hard working. He worked so hard everyday of his life to support his family that he loved so much.’
It is not the first tragedy to strike the heartbroken family.
Five years ago, Mr Eyb’s older brother died of a drug overdose in Sydney.