Australian nurse Chani Knopf, 32, has died after being hit by a car while on holiday in Italy. Her family and friends remember her as a ray of “human sunshine” and someone who was always “kind, compassionate, funny and full of life”.
Knopf, an A&E nurse at Gosford Hospital in New South Wales, died on September 3. She had been travelling in North-Eastern Italy when she was struck by a car at a pedestrian crossing in the town of Montagnana, about a 50-minute drive from Verona.
Friends and family at her side
Knopf was travelling with four close friends, all doctors, who were moments down the road when the accident happened. They rendered aid immediately and stayed by her bedside every day until her parents arrived, according to her best friend Melissa Wellman.
“They played her favourite music, surrounded her with love and spoke messages from the people who loved her to her right up until her final moments,” Wellman told News Corp Australia. “They are incredible people and were incredible friends to Chani. I will always be so grateful that she had them there with her.”
Organ donation and family plea
Knopf was placed in a coma after the crash and airlifted to Padua University Hospital, but never regained consciousness. Her parents, Susan and Ger, travelled from Australia to be with her as she died.
Her family have urged friends and family not to blame the driver, who stopped at the scene and provided immediate assistance. Knopf was able to donate her organs, giving seven young people in Italy another chance at life.
Fundraiser for repatriation
“It feels incredibly fitting for Chani, who loved life so deeply and dedicated her career to caring for others,” Wellman said. Friends have set up a GoFundMe to help with the costs of repatriating her body.
The fundraiser aims to give her parents “some financial breathing room so they can take the time they need to grieve, as they grapple with this unimaginable loss.” Wellman added: “Most importantly, the fundraiser is a way for the community to surround Chani’s family with the same love, generosity and support that Chani gave so freely throughout her life.”
