Highlights
- Melbourne couple proves ‘inseparable’ with surviving wife passing just over two weeks after husband’s death
- Their daughter describes her mother’s unexpected lucidity over the loss, despite suffering from dementia
- The death of a loved one can be the cause of a heart condition which in rare cases turns fatal
When Sotiris met Sophia it was 'love at first sight’; though not the typical face-to-face encounter.
“My dad came to Australia in 1955. My mother was also the first of her family [in Greece] to come here. He met my mother through a photograph, and this was the case for many other couples, too, back then,” daughter Vicky Bouliopoulos says.
Six decades of marriage later, the Greek migrant couple passed away just 17 days apart from each other in December.
Sofia and Sotiris Bouliopoulos. Source: Vicky Bouliopoulos
Ms Bouliopoulos says until their last days living in a nursing home, they were both looking after each other as best as they could.
Sophia, 79, an advanced dementia patient would struggle to recognise faces, recall events or even talk. But she would return Sotiris’ care at every opportunity, such as helping him move around in his wheelchair.
“My father died of old age, he was 92 years old,” Ms Bouliopoulos says recounting initial shock.
The family didn’t know they were bracing for yet another shock the next day.
“Not even 24 hours had passed from his death when my mother suffered a severe stroke. We rushed to the hospital, my dad was still unburied. In fact, we cancelled the funeral after being told ‘your mother has only a few days to live’.”
A slight improvement in her mother’s health followed, giving the family some breathing space to organise the funeral.
“We didn’t want to keep him waiting [unburied]. We were kept occupied with setting up the service and I personally didn’t think my mum was aware of what was happening.
“I was wrong,” Ms Bouliopoulos says as she recalls witnessing an "unusual moment" of clarity by her mother, "calling on God and doing the sign of the cross", during a Greek Orthodox rite for her father.
She says what happened afterwards was "odd".
"For us, it seemed like a small miracle. She started talking again, remembering[…] and then as if she chose it herself, she left.”
Sophia left her last breath 17 days after Sotiris’ passing.
Bouliopoulos admits the double loss has been traumatic, but says it is consoling to know both have “finally found peace and rest”, hinting at the impact of her mother’s dementia, a disease with .
Sofia and Sotiris Bouliopoulos died days apart after 60 years of marriage. Source: Vicky Bouliopoulos
“People in our community know it can be really painful.”
“I also believe it’s a blessing for two people who love each other so much and have been so close to leave together.”
A broken heart?
But can Sophia really have died of a ‘broken heart’?
Not impossible, psychologist Eleni Kalampouka says, citing an actual condition named after the metaphor.
“It is indeed a heartwarming story. It’s rare, but can happen with much-beloved couples and has happened before,” Ms Kalampouka tells SBS Greek.
Research points to the ‘broken heart syndrome’, she explains.
The condition's exact cause is unclear, but is , and while not common it could be fatal.
The death of a loved one can be a potential trigger.
“It affects the heart, it’s not a heart attack though. Within days, the person who has experienced it could pass.
“We often see love affairs not lasting, but when a relationship is strong like this one it endures life and beyond.”
