Hamilton family grieves after mother dies of sudden postpartum stroke

A father and his four children are dealing with the devastating sudden loss of their wife and mother.

The 36-year-old Hamilton woman died just five weeks postpartum from what doctors say is an uncommon and sometimes seemingly random medical situation.

Jessica Sharp was looking forward to a golf tournament with friends, when suddenly she became ill.

Sharp, a 36-year-old woman, loved being with her family.

“She had a very contagious smile,” said Sharp’s husband Brandon Sharp.

WATCH MORE: Menopause and women’s heart health

Studying to become a teacher and juggling four kids, the youngest of which is now just six-weeks-old.

“Her kids were her world,” said Jessica Hrymak, Sharp’s friend. “She was even considering a fifth and we were like ‘you’re crazy’.”

On Sept. 19, Sharp, her husband Brandon and their friends got together for an annual golf tournament, taking a group picture just minutes before everything changed.

“We took a group photo and when we took that photo, just immediately after, so she was on my right arm — she just grabbed my side and said ‘I don’t feel really good,” said Brandon.

“And then we got to the green and she looked at us and said, ‘I need a medic,’ and we were like what?’,” said Hrymak. “She was like, ‘my lip is numb — I need a medic’.”

READ MORE: ASU hockey coach on leave after Stoney Creek native’s collapse

Within minutes, Sharp was in an ambulance on her way to the hospital, but shortly after she arrived, her family and friends were told there was nothing more that could be done to save her life.

The healthy, happy 36-year-old suffered a devastating stroke.

“It is common that women will report that they felt fine and all of a sudden, there’s a big change,” said Dr. Kara Nerenberg, who studies heart and stroke risk factors during pregnancy, and the postpartum period.

She says in Canada, there are about 30 strokes for every 100,000 pregnancies and deliveries — the riskiest time being up to six weeks postpartum.

WATCH MORE: Olympic medalist Elizabeth Manley to deliver keynote at ‘A Mental Health Morning’

“There is often a sudden onset of new symptoms,” said Nerenberg. “The most common one being a headache, so women will report a headache being either the worst headache in their life, or really out of keeping with their usual headache pattern.”

Nerenberg says unusual headaches or new neurological symptoms like difficulties with speech, could be warning signs.

Another stroke risk factor is having a blood pressure disorder during pregnancy, like preeclampsia.

“The trouble is it’s not really well recognized postpartum, because a lot of these symptoms are vague and they can be attributed to just being ‘oh lack of sleep’ in a new mom,” said Nerenberg. “‘She’s got a headache because of a lack of sleep’.”

A random postpartum stroke, and suddenly Brandon is faced with telling his children their beloved mother will not be coming home.

“It’s my job to keep doing the things that we loved despite her not being there, and let the kids know that she is with us, and she’d want us to keep doing the things we do.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up by friends to help the family, who now have to navigate life without Sharp.

READ MORE: Health of women with diabetes may deteriorate after menopause: study