When Rachel's mother, Joy, was admitted to a Northern Beaches hospital in Sydney, she never could have imagined that a simple internet outage would rob her of the chance to say a final goodbye.

But that's exactly what happened due to the massive Optus outage that impacted millions of Australians recently.

'Your phone is your life,' a devastated Rachel told 2GB radio host Chris O'Keefe.

'When your mum is on her last legs, your mum needs you. I need them to be able to have faith that I can get a phone call about something this precious to me.'

The Optus phone outage prevented a Sydney woman from saying goodbye to her mother, who died in the hospital. Credit: Pexels.

Rachel lives just 10 minutes from the hospital where her beloved mother was staying. The staff assured her that if anything went wrong, they would give her a call immediately so she could rush to her mum's side.

Trusting in this promise, Rachel headed home for the night with her family. But just hours later, panic set in when her daughter FaceTimed with shocking news—the entire Optus network was down nationwide.

Frantically, Rachel checked her phone to see no missed calls from the hospital. Her heart dropped as the reality sunk in… At the time, she had no way of knowing if her mother was okay.

Optus recently experienced one of the biggest network outages in the country's history, affecting customers in major cities like Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, the ACT, Tasmania, and Adelaide.

This widespread disruption began at 4 am last Wednesday, causing inconvenience for many, especially those who relied on landline phones.

The most critical issue during this outage was that Optus landline users couldn't reach emergency services like the police, ambulance, or fire department. This meant that people without mobile phones at home couldn't call for help.

The situation also caused chaos in businesses, transportation networks, and, in Rachel's case, even hospitals.

With no phone or internet connectivity, Rachel was completely helpless.

'Once we got there and found mum had passed away, they (hospital staff) were saying we tried to call you,' Rachel recounted. However, with the Optus outage, the hospital could not reach Rachel or any of Joy's loved ones.

By the time Rachel raced to the hospital, it was too late—her beloved mother was gone.

'You can't get those final moments back. We thought everything was fine to come back and find her passed away,' she said.

Rachel is just one of many Australians affected by the recent Optus outage. This outage wasn't just a minor inconvenience; it caused financial losses and disruptions in people's lives.

That's why there are discussions about compensating those affected, and according to the telecommunications company, it's a possibility.

'We are looking at what we can do to thank customers for their patience. You can expect something coming out from us in that regard,' said the CEO of Optus, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin.

She also apologised for the outage and committed to delivering excellent customer service moving forward.

However, for Rachel, no compensation from Optus can make up for missing the chance to say goodbye to her mother in those final moments.

'We can never, ever get that time back with our mum,' she said in dismay.

Key Takeaways

• The Optus phone outage affected a Sydney woman, leaving her unaware that her mother had died in hospital.
• The woman, Rachel, was living 10 minutes away from the hospital and had been assured by hospital staff that they would call her if any issues arose.
• She expressed her disbelief and sadness over the fact that the hospital couldn't reach her due to the Optus outage, and by the time she arrived at the hospital, her mother had passed away.

Members, have you been impacted by the recent Optus crisis? Share your story below in the comments.

 

[Rhondda@Benji]

I'm so sorry Rachel for you not been able to say goodbye to your Mum. I pray that she went in her sleep like my Mum did. Even though I was sitting right next to her. Just before she passed I sang her the song that she always sang to me from when I was a baby (You Are My Sunshine) and she must of heard as there were tears running down her face even though the nurses said that she was in a coma. I'm sure your Mum would have had a peaceful passing and again I'm so sorry that you weren't there. You know that you can still talk to your Mum anywhere and anytime as she will be listening and watching over you. I pray that you don't blame yourself and think of the good times you had with her.

 

[Petra]

You should have been with your Mum, you live 10 mins. from the hospital.

 

[Squizzy1]

When Rachel's mother, Joy, was admitted to a Northern Beaches hospital in Sydney, she never could have imagined that a simple internet outage would rob her of the chance to say a final goodbye.

But that's exactly what happened due to the massive Optus outage that impacted millions of Australians recently.

'Your phone is your life,' a devastated Rachel told 2GB radio host Chris O'Keefe.

'When your mum is on her last legs, your mum needs you. I need them to be able to have faith that I can get a phone call about something this precious to me.'

View attachment 34278

The Optus phone outage prevented a Sydney woman from saying goodbye to her mother, who died in the hospital. Credit: Pexels.

Rachel lives just 10 minutes from the hospital where her beloved mother was staying. The staff assured her that if anything went wrong, they would give her a call immediately so she could rush to her mum's side.

Trusting in this promise, Rachel headed home for the night with her family. But just hours later, panic set in when her daughter FaceTimed with shocking news—the entire Optus network was down nationwide.

Frantically, Rachel checked her phone to see no missed calls from the hospital. Her heart dropped as the reality sunk in… At the time, she had no way of knowing if her mother was okay.

Optus recently experienced one of the biggest network outages in the country's history, affecting customers in major cities like Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, the ACT, Tasmania, and Adelaide.

This widespread disruption began at 4 am last Wednesday, causing inconvenience for many, especially those who relied on landline phones.

The most critical issue during this outage was that Optus landline users couldn't reach emergency services like the police, ambulance, or fire department. This meant that people without mobile phones at home couldn't call for help.

The situation also caused chaos in businesses, transportation networks, and, in Rachel's case, even hospitals.

With no phone or internet connectivity, Rachel was completely helpless.

'Once we got there and found mum had passed away, they (hospital staff) were saying we tried to call you,' Rachel recounted. However, with the Optus outage, the hospital could not reach Rachel or any of Joy's loved ones.

By the time Rachel raced to the hospital, it was too late—her beloved mother was gone.

'You can't get those final moments back. We thought everything was fine to come back and find her passed away,' she said.

Rachel is just one of many Australians affected by the recent Optus outage. This outage wasn't just a minor inconvenience; it caused financial losses and disruptions in people's lives.

That's why there are discussions about compensating those affected, and according to the telecommunications company, it's a possibility.

'We are looking at what we can do to thank customers for their patience. You can expect something coming out from us in that regard,' said the CEO of Optus, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin.

She also apologised for the outage and committed to delivering excellent customer service moving forward.

However, for Rachel, no compensation from Optus can make up for missing the chance to say goodbye to her mother in those final moments.

'We can never, ever get that time back with our mum,' she said in dismay.

Key Takeaways

• The Optus phone outage affected a Sydney woman, leaving her unaware that her mother had died in hospital.
• The woman, Rachel, was living 10 minutes away from the hospital and had been assured by hospital staff that they would call her if any issues arose.
• She expressed her disbelief and sadness over the fact that the hospital couldn't reach her due to the Optus outage, and by the time she arrived at the hospital, her mother had passed away.

Members, have you been impacted by the recent Optus crisis? Share your story below in the comments.

Oh Please, unfortunate yes, sad, yes, but also unpreventable. Compensation, for what, unless some form of negligence is exposed or Optus planned or caused the outage it was not intentional, it's an act of God and as such excusable, people need to get a grip imo.

 

[Clancieblue]

Sad to think no staff or other family members had a different phone provider, all were with Optus.
My home internet and mobile phone are not with the same provider for this very reason.

 

[Gsr]

I feel sad for Rachel as she will never get that chance to be with her mum as she passed away back. If it was my mum in hospital and nearing end of life I would have stayed by her side til the end, not gone home and waiting for a phone call, chances are it would have come too late to get back to the hospital anyway. If I couldn’t have been by her side I would have asked another family member to be there so mum was not left alone at any time. When my mum was nearing end of life at home, then hospital, she was never left by family, there was always someone, often 2/3 family with her. Every time one of us left her side we said goodbye to her as we never knew if she would pass away before we returned. Very hard and very sad.

 

[Jest]

When Rachel's mother, Joy, was admitted to a Northern Beaches hospital in Sydney, she never could have imagined that a simple internet outage would rob her of the chance to say a final goodbye.

But that's exactly what happened due to the massive Optus outage that impacted millions of Australians recently.

'Your phone is your life,' a devastated Rachel told 2GB radio host Chris O'Keefe.

'When your mum is on her last legs, your mum needs you. I need them to be able to have faith that I can get a phone call about something this precious to me.'

View attachment 34278

The Optus phone outage prevented a Sydney woman from saying goodbye to her mother, who died in the hospital. Credit: Pexels.

Rachel lives just 10 minutes from the hospital where her beloved mother was staying. The staff assured her that if anything went wrong, they would give her a call immediately so she could rush to her mum's side.

Trusting in this promise, Rachel headed home for the night with her family. But just hours later, panic set in when her daughter FaceTimed with shocking news—the entire Optus network was down nationwide.

Frantically, Rachel checked her phone to see no missed calls from the hospital. Her heart dropped as the reality sunk in… At the time, she had no way of knowing if her mother was okay.

Optus recently experienced one of the biggest network outages in the country's history, affecting customers in major cities like Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, the ACT, Tasmania, and Adelaide.

This widespread disruption began at 4 am last Wednesday, causing inconvenience for many, especially those who relied on landline phones.

The most critical issue during this outage was that Optus landline users couldn't reach emergency services like the police, ambulance, or fire department. This meant that people without mobile phones at home couldn't call for help.

The situation also caused chaos in businesses, transportation networks, and, in Rachel's case, even hospitals.

With no phone or internet connectivity, Rachel was completely helpless.

'Once we got there and found mum had passed away, they (hospital staff) were saying we tried to call you,' Rachel recounted. However, with the Optus outage, the hospital could not reach Rachel or any of Joy's loved ones.

By the time Rachel raced to the hospital, it was too late—her beloved mother was gone.

'You can't get those final moments back. We thought everything was fine to come back and find her passed away,' she said.

Rachel is just one of many Australians affected by the recent Optus outage. This outage wasn't just a minor inconvenience; it caused financial losses and disruptions in people's lives.

That's why there are discussions about compensating those affected, and according to the telecommunications company, it's a possibility.

'We are looking at what we can do to thank customers for their patience. You can expect something coming out from us in that regard,' said the CEO of Optus, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin.

She also apologised for the outage and committed to delivering excellent customer service moving forward.

However, for Rachel, no compensation from Optus can make up for missing the chance to say goodbye to her mother in those final moments.

'We can never, ever get that time back with our mum,' she said in dismay.

Key Takeaways

• The Optus phone outage affected a Sydney woman, leaving her unaware that her mother had died in hospital.
• The woman, Rachel, was living 10 minutes away from the hospital and had been assured by hospital staff that they would call her if any issues arose.
• She expressed her disbelief and sadness over the fact that the hospital couldn't reach her due to the Optus outage, and by the time she arrived at the hospital, her mother had passed away.

Members, have you been impacted by the recent Optus crisis? Share your story below in the comments.

very sad. BUT please remember how many phone calls one misses. We do not get to answer all of them.

 

[mOiOz]

When Rachel's mother, Joy, was admitted to a Northern Beaches hospital in Sydney, she never could have imagined that a simple internet outage would rob her of the chance to say a final goodbye.

But that's exactly what happened due to the massive Optus outage that impacted millions of Australians recently.

'Your phone is your life,' a devastated Rachel told 2GB radio host Chris O'Keefe.

'When your mum is on her last legs, your mum needs you. I need them to be able to have faith that I can get a phone call about something this precious to me.'

View attachment 34278

The Optus phone outage prevented a Sydney woman from saying goodbye to her mother, who died in the hospital. Credit: Pexels.

Rachel lives just 10 minutes from the hospital where her beloved mother was staying. The staff assured her that if anything went wrong, they would give her a call immediately so she could rush to her mum's side.

Trusting in this promise, Rachel headed home for the night with her family. But just hours later, panic set in when her daughter FaceTimed with shocking news—the entire Optus network was down nationwide.

Frantically, Rachel checked her phone to see no missed calls from the hospital. Her heart dropped as the reality sunk in… At the time, she had no way of knowing if her mother was okay.

Optus recently experienced one of the biggest network outages in the country's history, affecting customers in major cities like Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, the ACT, Tasmania, and Adelaide.

This widespread disruption began at 4 am last Wednesday, causing inconvenience for many, especially those who relied on landline phones.

The most critical issue during this outage was that Optus landline users couldn't reach emergency services like the police, ambulance, or fire department. This meant that people without mobile phones at home couldn't call for help.

The situation also caused chaos in businesses, transportation networks, and, in Rachel's case, even hospitals.

With no phone or internet connectivity, Rachel was completely helpless.

'Once we got there and found mum had passed away, they (hospital staff) were saying we tried to call you,' Rachel recounted. However, with the Optus outage, the hospital could not reach Rachel or any of Joy's loved ones.

By the time Rachel raced to the hospital, it was too late—her beloved mother was gone.

'You can't get those final moments back. We thought everything was fine to come back and find her passed away,' she said.

Rachel is just one of many Australians affected by the recent Optus outage. This outage wasn't just a minor inconvenience; it caused financial losses and disruptions in people's lives.

That's why there are discussions about compensating those affected, and according to the telecommunications company, it's a possibility.

'We are looking at what we can do to thank customers for their patience. You can expect something coming out from us in that regard,' said the CEO of Optus, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin.

She also apologised for the outage and committed to delivering excellent customer service moving forward.

However, for Rachel, no compensation from Optus can make up for missing the chance to say goodbye to her mother in those final moments.

'We can never, ever get that time back with our mum,' she said in dismay.

Key Takeaways

• The Optus phone outage affected a Sydney woman, leaving her unaware that her mother had died in hospital.
• The woman, Rachel, was living 10 minutes away from the hospital and had been assured by hospital staff that they would call her if any issues arose.
• She expressed her disbelief and sadness over the fact that the hospital couldn't reach her due to the Optus outage, and by the time she arrived at the hospital, her mother had passed away.

Members, have you been impacted by the recent Optus crisis? Share your story below in the comments.

So sorry to hear,... sincere condolences to you and your loved ones.

 

[Ashbeare]

When Rachel's mother, Joy, was admitted to a Northern Beaches hospital in Sydney, she never could have imagined that a simple internet outage would rob her of the chance to say a final goodbye.

But that's exactly what happened due to the massive Optus outage that impacted millions of Australians recently.

'Your phone is your life,' a devastated Rachel told 2GB radio host Chris O'Keefe.

'When your mum is on her last legs, your mum needs you. I need them to be able to have faith that I can get a phone call about something this precious to me.'

View attachment 34278

The Optus phone outage prevented a Sydney woman from saying goodbye to her mother, who died in the hospital. Credit: Pexels.

Rachel lives just 10 minutes from the hospital where her beloved mother was staying. The staff assured her that if anything went wrong, they would give her a call immediately so she could rush to her mum's side.

Trusting in this promise, Rachel headed home for the night with her family. But just hours later, panic set in when her daughter FaceTimed with shocking news—the entire Optus network was down nationwide.

Frantically, Rachel checked her phone to see no missed calls from the hospital. Her heart dropped as the reality sunk in… At the time, she had no way of knowing if her mother was okay.

Optus recently experienced one of the biggest network outages in the country's history, affecting customers in major cities like Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, the ACT, Tasmania, and Adelaide.

This widespread disruption began at 4 am last Wednesday, causing inconvenience for many, especially those who relied on landline phones.

The most critical issue during this outage was that Optus landline users couldn't reach emergency services like the police, ambulance, or fire department. This meant that people without mobile phones at home couldn't call for help.

The situation also caused chaos in businesses, transportation networks, and, in Rachel's case, even hospitals.

With no phone or internet connectivity, Rachel was completely helpless.

'Once we got there and found mum had passed away, they (hospital staff) were saying we tried to call you,' Rachel recounted. However, with the Optus outage, the hospital could not reach Rachel or any of Joy's loved ones.

By the time Rachel raced to the hospital, it was too late—her beloved mother was gone.

'You can't get those final moments back. We thought everything was fine to come back and find her passed away,' she said.

Rachel is just one of many Australians affected by the recent Optus outage. This outage wasn't just a minor inconvenience; it caused financial losses and disruptions in people's lives.

That's why there are discussions about compensating those affected, and according to the telecommunications company, it's a possibility.

'We are looking at what we can do to thank customers for their patience. You can expect something coming out from us in that regard,' said the CEO of Optus, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin.

She also apologised for the outage and committed to delivering excellent customer service moving forward.

However, for Rachel, no compensation from Optus can make up for missing the chance to say goodbye to her mother in those final moments.

'We can never, ever get that time back with our mum,' she said in dismay.

Key Takeaways

• The Optus phone outage affected a Sydney woman, leaving her unaware that her mother had died in hospital.
• The woman, Rachel, was living 10 minutes away from the hospital and had been assured by hospital staff that they would call her if any issues arose.
• She expressed her disbelief and sadness over the fact that the hospital couldn't reach her due to the Optus outage, and by the time she arrived at the hospital, her mother had passed away.

Members, have you been impacted by the recent Optus crisis? Share your story below in the comments.

What would she have done before the internet? Why wasn't she at her mothers side?

When Rachel's mother, Joy, was admitted to a Northern Beaches hospital in Sydney, she never could have imagined that a simple internet outage would rob her of the chance to say a final goodbye.

But that's exactly what happened due to the massive Optus outage that impacted millions of Australians recently.

'Your phone is your life,' a devastated Rachel told 2GB radio host Chris O'Keefe.

'When your mum is on her last legs, your mum needs you. I need them to be able to have faith that I can get a phone call about something this precious to me.'

View attachment 34278

The Optus phone outage prevented a Sydney woman from saying goodbye to her mother, who died in the hospital. Credit: Pexels.

Rachel lives just 10 minutes from the hospital where her beloved mother was staying. The staff assured her that if anything went wrong, they would give her a call immediately so she could rush to her mum's side.

Trusting in this promise, Rachel headed home for the night with her family. But just hours later, panic set in when her daughter FaceTimed with shocking news—the entire Optus network was down nationwide.

Frantically, Rachel checked her phone to see no missed calls from the hospital. Her heart dropped as the reality sunk in… At the time, she had no way of knowing if her mother was okay.

Optus recently experienced one of the biggest network outages in the country's history, affecting customers in major cities like Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, the ACT, Tasmania, and Adelaide.

This widespread disruption began at 4 am last Wednesday, causing inconvenience for many, especially those who relied on landline phones.

The most critical issue during this outage was that Optus landline users couldn't reach emergency services like the police, ambulance, or fire department. This meant that people without mobile phones at home couldn't call for help.

The situation also caused chaos in businesses, transportation networks, and, in Rachel's case, even hospitals.

With no phone or internet connectivity, Rachel was completely helpless.

'Once we got there and found mum had passed away, they (hospital staff) were saying we tried to call you,' Rachel recounted. However, with the Optus outage, the hospital could not reach Rachel or any of Joy's loved ones.

By the time Rachel raced to the hospital, it was too late—her beloved mother was gone.

'You can't get those final moments back. We thought everything was fine to come back and find her passed away,' she said.

Rachel is just one of many Australians affected by the recent Optus outage. This outage wasn't just a minor inconvenience; it caused financial losses and disruptions in people's lives.

That's why there are discussions about compensating those affected, and according to the telecommunications company, it's a possibility.

'We are looking at what we can do to thank customers for their patience. You can expect something coming out from us in that regard,' said the CEO of Optus, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin.

She also apologised for the outage and committed to delivering excellent customer service moving forward.

However, for Rachel, no compensation from Optus can make up for missing the chance to say goodbye to her mother in those final moments.

'We can never, ever get that time back with our mum,' she said in dismay.

Key Takeaways

• The Optus phone outage affected a Sydney woman, leaving her unaware that her mother had died in hospital.
• The woman, Rachel, was living 10 minutes away from the hospital and had been assured by hospital staff that they would call her if any issues arose.
• She expressed her disbelief and sadness over the fact that the hospital couldn't reach her due to the Optus outage, and by the time she arrived at the hospital, her mother had passed away.

Members, have you been impacted by the recent Optus crisis? Share your story below in the comments.

What would she have done before the internet? Why wasn't she at her mothers side?

 

[Suzanne rose]

You should have been with your Mum, you live 10 mins. from the hospital.

She had been at the hospital with her mum and went home to shower and eat. The hospital told her they would call her if there was a change . She took a turn for the worst and the hostried to call her.

I was at the hospital 24/ 7 with my grandfather and when I went home to shower he passed away. One of the nurses told me that it seems sometimes a persin one will wait until their loved one leaves then they pass

Have a little sympathy for her