This time next week a new chapter is likely to have started in Cassandra Hall's life - motherhood, and just in time for Mother's Day.
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But the much-awaited birth of Isabelle Ruth Alexandra Hall will be bittersweet because her father Alex, who couldn't wait to be a dad, won't be there to meet her.
Alex Hall, 37, died in February after suffering an anaphylactic reaction to barramundi, despite never having suffered a severe reaction in the past.
Five days after eating the meal at a Ballarat restaurant while the newlyweds were on a date night, Alex was declared brain dead, sparing Mrs Hall from having to make life's toughest decision whether to switch off his life support.
There were two silver linings after his death - his organs that were donated and baby Isabelle will ensure his legacy lives on.
Alex had no idea what would happen. He thought if he reacted at all it would be a minor reaction but in the space of 10 minutes he was gone forever.
- Cassandra Hall
The Ballan couple had settled on Isabelle as a name just days before Alex's death as they both liked strong, traditional names that have stood the test of time. Her middle names pay tribute to her father and grandmother.
Because they were so excited to be starting a family, the couple had already visited baby stores and decided on a pram, cot and other items and talked about how they wanted to set up the nursery.
Having started maternity leave from her financial services job last week, Ms Hall is physically ready to welcome her new baby girl in to the world but emotionally is not so sure.
"I'm absolutely broken. I don't know how i'm going to do this without him," she said.
But she hopes that first look in to their daughter's eyes will fill her with the love and strength she needs to tackle motherhood alone.
And she will make sure Isabelle knows how excited her dad was to be a father.
"Alex was so incredibly excited to become a dad. All he ever wanted in life was to become a father," she said.
"We had been down to Baby Bunting and picked out all the baby things together. I've been able to fulfill those wishes and buy the same things."
After Alex's death a friend started a Go Fund Me page to help with the expenses of parenthood, which has allowed her to prepare for Isabelle's arrival the way the parents-to-be had planned.
The couple had moved to Ballan in July, soon after their May wedding, with plans to raise a large family on their dream 2.5 acre bush block at Dales Creek, north of Greendale.
A bush block, between the national parks, that's the kind of lifestyle we wanted and we were going to have three or four kids and raise a big, beautiful family out there
- Cassandra Hall
With an uncleared block, a mortgage on it and rent to pay, she faces giving up that dream and imagining a new future for herself and her daughter.
"We were in the process of looking at builders and where we wanted to put the house on the block, but we were going to wait until after Isabelle was born to start building," she said.
"A bush block, between the national parks, that's the kind of lifestyle we wanted and we were going to have three or four kids and raise a big, beautiful family out there.
"But I don't think I can follow through with this. The land hasn't even been cleared and I couldn't imagine getting it started ... so I think I will have to, given I'm not in a great position financially, sell the land."
When Alex died he did not have any insurance coverage through his superannuation, something the couple had talked about and planned to remedy the next week.
"I work in the industry and we were talking about it. We had only just gotten married and I was making sure we had everything in place before Isabelle arrived," she said.
"He was about to look in to his insurance the next week when he went back to work. I had assumed he had some default coverage attached to his super but he didn't, so we were talking about the amount of cover he'd need.
"I'd said I've got enough if something happened to me then you and Isabelle would be ok, but what if something happens to you, how would Isabelle and I make it."
Despite having few ties in Ballan so far, Ms Hall has no plans to leave as the couple both loved the area. With her family in Melbourne, Geelong and Stawell she hopes to start building a network of local support when she meets other new mums and joins playgroup when Isabelle is old enough.
With baby preparations complete and maternity leave underway, Ms Hall has been trying to catch up on some rest before Isabelle arrives.
"I'm so prepared that I've been sitting on the couch watching Netflix and the biggest decision is when do I move from the couch to bed, or what time do I get out of bed and start watching Netflix," she laughed.
"I'm trying to make the most of it and rest as much as I can but it's hard to roll over in bed, and I can't stay on one side for too long so even resting is a bit tricky."
Ms Hall is planning a home birth for Isabelle, with a doula for support and midwives on call as well as her sister and aunt.
"I plan on going through the most part of it myself, as much as I can'," she said. "If it's not Alex supporting me I don't want anyone else."
The speed of Alex's death shocked her.
During their final dinner together, Alex said how much he enjoyed the fish as he hadn't eaten it for years. Last time he had eaten it he thought he had a mild reaction to it because his lips got tingly.
"Alex had no idea what would happen. He thought if he reacted at all it would be a minor reaction but in the space of 10 minutes he was gone forever."
When it became apparent Mr Hall was struggling to breathe in the restaurant, a group of off-duty nurses from Ballarat Base Hospital stepped in and performed CPR until paramedics arrived. Paramedics intubated and stabilised but his heart stopped several times.
At the hospital, doctors initially said he would likely be fine but he suffered seizures as a result of the time his brain was without oxygen.
"A couple of days in they said if he was able to breathe for himself and his heart continued beating on its own, the best I could hope for was that he would be in a care facility, blind and unable to move. So I thought I had a really tough decision at that point but after the next two days he was officially brain dead because of the damage."
To help raise awareness of unknown anaphylaxis, Ms Hall plans to work with Anaphylaxis Australia who reached out to her after Alex's death.
"I want to do anything I can that will potentially help somebody else and stop this happening again," she said.
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