Sometimes, it's hard to comprehend the demands of live television presenting. During the broadcast, the host must remain poised, articulate and engaging, regardless of what’s unfolding behind the scenes.

But what happens when they’re informed of a sudden family tragedy on the job?

That’s a situation Channel 7 star Karen Ledbury had to face fourteen months ago. Known for her charming on-air persona as a presenter on The Morning Show, Karen was in the midst of filming at a studio in Artarmon, Sydney, when her life changed in an instant.

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It was an average day: her son Jordan was visiting from Hawaii, her husband Aidan was home, and she started her workday chatting with Aidan before heading to the studio around 6:30 AM.

The show’s studio is essentially a 'concrete jungle', a term often used to describe hermetically sealed environments insulated from outside interference, which in this case, included mobile reception.

'I couldn't get any calls. I couldn't get any texts,' Karen admitted in a revealing interview on The Morning Show recently.

Typically, after wrapping up filming, Karen would step outside to call Aidan. That day, she finished work at 2 PM instead of 4 PM. She went to the car park, and that’s when she realised something was wrong.

Upon restarting her phone and seeing 37 missed calls from her eldest sons and two of her husband’s closest friends, her heart sank. Then, texts from her son arrived with an urgent 'SOS! Emergency. Please help me.'

Like any mother, Karen's first instinct was fear for her son’s well-being. However, the devastating news wasn't about Jordan but her husband, Aidan.

‘[Jordan] said, “You need to get to Royal North Shore Hospital. The doctors asked us to go and say goodbye to Dad,” she recalled.

Bewildered, Karen clarified: ‘What do you mean?’

‘He said, “Dad’s had a seizure. They are not expecting him to last another half an hour. How quick can you get here?”’

Karen Ledbury and her husband, Aiden. Credit: @karenledbury/Instagram

It's a chilling reflection of how unexpectedly the smile of life can turn into a grimace of tragedy. Aidan, a healthy gentleman of 53 who neither smoked nor drank, had suffered a severe stroke that he wasn't expected to survive.

Karen's son implored her to hurry to the Royal North Shore Hospital. She immediately rushed to the hospital, just next door to the studio. There, she found her family in crisis, and the fear that suffused the air as they awaited the inevitable was almost palpable.

However, Aidan fought a tremendous battle, defying the odds and surviving the sudden stroke. He underwent emergency surgery and spent three weeks in intensive care. Consequently, the lives of Aidan, Karen, and their family were left irrevocably altered.

While Karen hopes Aidan will be home 'before Christmas,' he is still battling to improve his speech and walking ability.

The trials of the family didn't end there, however. In the past 14 months, the family has endured the loss of Karen's father and the cancer diagnosis of her son, Jordan.

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To those who ponder over how she is coping with these multiple stressors, Karen admits that some days are 'really dark.' She tries her best to juggle work and home, holding the fort as both Mum and Dad and dealing with the grief over her losses, all while continuing to support the family.

‘There are day-to-day battles just with that kind of stuff, and then with dealing with the day-to-day, cleaning the house, putting the washing on, cooking dinner, like all mums do,’ Karen admitted.

‘So it is a real battle…people get on with their lives and you are still living that every single day. I think that’s the toughest.’

Key Takeaways

• Channel 7 star Karen Ledbury was alerted to a shocking family tragedy via a text message while she was live on air.
• Karen's husband, Aidan, had suffered a sudden and unexpected stroke and was not expected to survive.
• Despite the bleak outlook, Aidan miraculously survived after emergency surgery but continues to recover, with his communication currently limited.
• Besides her husband's stroke, Karen also faced her father’s death and her son's cancer diagnosis in the last 14 months.
• Amid her family’s ordeals, Karen says the ‘day-to-day’ activities of being a parent have proven to be the worst.

Now, more than ever, it's crucial to stay informed about health issues, such as strokes. National Stroke Week runs from August 7-11, stressing the importance of recognising the common symptoms of a stroke using the F.A.S.T. test:

Face: Check their face. Has their mouth drooped?

Arms: Can they lift both arms?

Speech: Is their speech slurred? Do they understand you?

Time is critical: If you see any of these signs, call 000 right away.

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For more details, please visit the Stroke Foundation's website.

From our SDC family, we wish Karen, Aidan, Jordan and their loved ones strength and resilience during this challenging time. Remember, it's okay not to be okay sometimes. Take care, mates.

What do you think of this story, dear members? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

 

[Suzanne rose]

Karen has gone through what no one wants to go through.

It shows how quick something can come on and is a reminder to us that we really don't know when could be ours or a loved ones last day

It's a reminder not to hold grudges and to remember to let your loved ones know they are loved.

My are with Karen and her family , that they are all given the strength to get through this and that both Karen's husband and son are healed and get to live a long and healthy life

 

[Furbaby]

My thoughts and prayers to Karen and her family. We never know what is around the corner and how things can change so quickly in one’s life. I use to work in aged care and looked after a resident who had 2 strokes at the age of 50. He is still here today but he cannot walk and struggles with his speech and he becomes very frustrated. He is a close friend of my husband and I and seeing him struggle even with his own thoughts finds him constantly crying, wishing he wasn’t here.
As with having tragedy in her life, my family suffered a lot on the days of 19th and 20th January 1994. I had an Aunty pass away in the morning of 19th from cancer, then in that afternoon my daughter drowned in her nappy bucket and my sister’s mother in law passed away from cancer on the 20th, that’s 3 family members in 2 days. We had our local community come together and bought a little puppy for our other children a couple of weeks later and then after he was given some medication from whom we got him from, my kids came home from school and found that he also past away as a result of a reaction from the medicine. My husband and I were starting to wonder what we had done.

 

[Argie]

My thoughts and prayers to Karen and her family. We never know what is around the corner and how things can change so quickly in one’s life. I use to work in aged care and looked after a resident who had 2 strokes at the age of 50. He is still here today but he cannot walk and struggles with his speech and he becomes very frustrated. He is a close friend of my husband and I and seeing him struggle even with his own thoughts finds him constantly crying, wishing he wasn’t here.
As with having tragedy in her life, my family suffered a lot on the days of 19th and 20th January 1994. I had an Aunty pass away in the morning of 19th from cancer, then in that afternoon my daughter drowned in her nappy bucket and my sister’s mother in law passed away from cancer on the 20th, that’s 3 family members in 2 days. We had our local community come together and bought a little puppy for our other children a couple of weeks later and then after he was given some medication from whom we got him from, my kids came home from school and found that he also past away as a result of a reaction from the medicine. My husband and I were starting to wonder what we had done.

OMG i feel so much sadness for you

 

[Thecheesequeen]

My heart goes out to this poor family. However, can I point out that she didn’t get the news “live on air”. She got the news after she had finished for the day. Please don’t use misleading headlines.

 

[Leenie]

My thoughts and prayers to Karen and her family. We never know what is around the corner and how things can change so quickly in one’s life. I use to work in aged care and looked after a resident who had 2 strokes at the age of 50. He is still here today but he cannot walk and struggles with his speech and he becomes very frustrated. He is a close friend of my husband and I and seeing him struggle even with his own thoughts finds him constantly crying, wishing he wasn’t here.
As with having tragedy in her life, my family suffered a lot on the days of 19th and 20th January 1994. I had an Aunty pass away in the morning of 19th from cancer, then in that afternoon my daughter drowned in her nappy bucket and my sister’s mother in law passed away from cancer on the 20th, that’s 3 family members in 2 days. We had our local community come together and bought a little puppy for our other children a couple of weeks later and then after he was given some medication from whom we got him from, my kids came home from school and found that he also past away as a result of a reaction from the medicine. My husband and I were starting to wonder what we had done.

Life certainly throws you a curveball, a lot of families go through heartbreaking times and I think you come out stronger for it.

 

[Suzanne rose]

My thoughts and prayers to Karen and her family. We never know what is around the corner and how things can change so quickly in one’s life. I use to work in aged care and looked after a resident who had 2 strokes at the age of 50. He is still here today but he cannot walk and struggles with his speech and he becomes very frustrated. He is a close friend of my husband and I and seeing him struggle even with his own thoughts finds him constantly crying, wishing he wasn’t here.
As with having tragedy in her life, my family suffered a lot on the days of 19th and 20th January 1994. I had an Aunty pass away in the morning of 19th from cancer, then in that afternoon my daughter drowned in her nappy bucket and my sister’s mother in law passed away from cancer on the 20th, that’s 3 family members in 2 days. We had our local community come together and bought a little puppy for our other children a couple of weeks later and then after he was given some medication from whom we got him from, my kids came home from school and found that he also past away as a result of a reaction from the medicine. My husband and I were starting to wonder what we had done.

I'm so sorry for your losses, I can't even imagine the pain you went through .
I have asked that question myself on a number of times ' what have I done '
I think we become stronger people and I take all the bad things that has happened and try to turn them into positives , usually trying to help others .

We never forget those we have lost , we one day remember them and smile instead of tears

 

[Ricki]

This story reminds me of a saying I think of when I think my life is tough. "I complained because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet". She's had a lifetime of worry in a few months. No one deserves that. Sending positive thoughts to her family.

 

[Gsr]

Makes me wonder why she didn’t get the news until after she finished work. Most workplaces can be contacted in cases of emergencies like this, even if just to pass on a message for the employee to contact a family member. Not the sort of workplace I’d like to work at if no phone calls were allowed, even in life or death emergencies. Hopefully they have changed this for the better.