A joyful beginning that quickly became heartbreaking
Hannah Camplin had just experienced the moment she had long dreamed of: becoming a mother.
She and former West Coast premiership player Mark Hutchings welcomed their first child, daughter Sofia, after what the family described as a straightforward pregnancy.
For a brief time, everything appeared to be exactly as they had hoped.
Hannah’s sister, Lucy Heke, said Hannah had spent precious time with her newborn and appeared happy and settled in those first days of motherhood.
“Sofia is absolutely beautiful,” Heke said.
She described her sister as having “taken to motherhood like a duck to water”, adding that Hannah “just looked very happy and content”.
But only two days after Sofia’s birth, Hannah died.
The sudden loss has left Hutchings and both families trying to navigate the earliest days of parenthood without the person who had been at the centre of it.
New details emerge about Hannah’s final days
Further details have now emerged about what happened.
Heke said Hannah suffered a cardiac arrest in hospital on September 9.
However, the initial investigation into her death did not provide a definitive explanation.
According to Heke, it could take as long as a year for the full circumstances to become clear.
“The initial investigation was inconclusive,” she said, explaining that the family was still waiting for answers about how her death occurred.
That uncertainty has added another painful layer to a loss that came so unexpectedly.
Her dream was to become a mum
Hutchings announced Hannah’s death in an emotional Instagram post, describing her as his “beautiful partner” and saying he was shattered by the loss.
He also revealed the significance of motherhood to Hannah.
“Her dream was to become a Mum,” he wrote, adding that it had been “incredibly difficult to take”.
He finished with a message addressed directly to Hannah, saying that he and Sofia loved her and would miss her very much.
The words have given a glimpse into the depth of the loss facing the family: Sofia had only just arrived, yet Hutchings was suddenly left to begin fatherhood without Hannah beside him.
Family now rallying around Mark and baby Sofia
In the aftermath, Hannah’s family and Hutchings’ family have been supporting one another while also helping Mark care for their newborn daughter.
Heke said Sofia had become an important source of comfort for everyone.
The family is now waiting for investigators to establish what happened, while trying to give Hutchings the support he needs as he adjusts to life as a single parent.
Friends from Hutchings’ football career have also rallied around him.
West Coast offered its ongoing support, while former teammates and their partners sent messages of sympathy.
Former teammate Nic Naitanui wrote that Hutchings would be “the best Dad” for Sofia and assured him: “we got you.”
Jack Darling’s wife, Courtney, also shared her support, saying there were no words sufficient for what he was going through and that she was thinking of him and Sofia.
A close friend remembers the family they were about to become
One of Hutchings’ close friends, Perth businessman Jarred Briotti, had experienced the excitement of new fatherhood alongside him.
Briotti’s son was born just three weeks before Sofia, and the two couples had been looking forward to sharing the experience of raising their children together.
Instead, Briotti has watched his friend face an unimaginable change.
He described Hannah as a “lovely and caring person” who would be deeply missed.
He also reflected on the way Hutchings had stepped into fatherhood despite the devastating circumstances.
Hutchings, he said, had taken to being a father “like a duck to water”.
Briotti added that he believed Hannah would be looking down proudly at Mark and Sofia.
A premiership career now remembered alongside a very different chapter
Hutchings, 35, spent nine seasons with West Coast and played 120 AFL games, including an important role in the Eagles’ 2018 premiership campaign. West Coast confirmed his playing career ended after the 2021 season.
Since retiring from football, he has moved into real estate.
But the story surrounding him now has little to do with football.
His focus is on Sofia, the daughter he and Hannah had only just welcomed into the world.
And for the family, the days ahead will involve both mourning Hannah and preserving the memory of the mother she had so recently become.
The unanswered question the family is still waiting on
For now, there is no final explanation for Hannah’s sudden death.
Her family knows only that she suffered a cardiac arrest in hospital, while the investigation continues.
What makes the story particularly painful is how little time separated two life-changing moments: Hannah becoming the mother she had dreamed of becoming, and her family having to say goodbye.
Sofia remains at the centre of the family’s world — a tiny reminder of the future Hannah had been so excited to begin.
And as Mark Hutchings learns to navigate that future without his partner, those closest to him are making sure he does not have to face it alone.