Husband of Rosanna Hashem breaks his silence after she was killed in lightning strike in Sydney’s south west

EXCLUSIVE

Every single day since they married, Rosanna and Hassan Hashem had a tradition.

As soon as the clock struck 12am, they would compete to be the first to say to the other “I love you more plus one.”

Now, four days since the mother-of-four passed away in a freak lightning strike in south west Sydney, Hassan finds himself staring at the chalk strokes, their competition scores, that remain etched into the brick at the back of their home.

“I still find myself trying to find her at the stroke of midnight just to tell her how much I love her,” Hassan told 7News.com.au

“Rose was the most beautiful person.

“She did everything for everyone else before herself. She always put herself last.

“She didn’t deserve this.

“No one deserves that.”

The couple met in Bahrain through a mutual friend before settling in Australia and marrying in 2008.

Together they built a happy life: four sons, four pets, and a thriving home business - cat salon, The Groomery, which was operated by Rosanna at their Cawdor property.

But tragedy struck on Saturday night when Rosanna, affectionately known to loved ones as “Rose”, was killed and her close friend Amanda Hancock, 43, was seriously injured when lightning struck a tree at the front of the couple’s property.

That afternoon, the Hashem family had been hosting a barbecue to celebrate Rose’s upcoming birthday - which would have seen her turn 44 on Sunday.

Just moments before the lightning hit, it had begun raining lightly and Hassan and Amanda’s husband Yassar were moving the barbecue undercover.

Then, out of nowhere, they felt a massive explosion.

The men ran towards where their wives had been sitting and found the pair unconscious on the ground.

Hassan did everything in his power to save his wife, but she had suffered catastrophic injuries.

Rose was declared dead at the scene while Amanda, who was sitting just centimetres away from her, was rushed to hospital with serious hand and facial wounds.

Authorities say Rose was killed from wood shrapnel, but Amanda - who has since lost a finger - believes they were struck by the lightning directly.

In an unfathomable twist of fate, Hassan and Yassar had been closer to the tree but escaped with minor injuries.

He’s still grappling to understand why.

“I was there - I was closer,” he said.

“She puts everyone before herself, then she died the day before her birthday.

“You only hear about this stuff in the news or movies.

“You don’t ever think it will happen to your family.”

Hassan said he and his family used to love storms, but they would now always be a cruel reminder of Saturday’s events.

Over the past few days, as he struggles to navigate the family’s new normal without the love of his life and the mother of his four boys - aged 15, 11, 8, and 5 - Hassan says he is so grateful for the kindness of friends and the community - particularly Amanda and Yasser’s family who have stayed by his side “all day, every day”.

As he grapples with how drastically his life changed overnight, Hassan is comforted by the memory of the strong love he shared with his wife - and the unique ways in which they would show it to each other.

To mark their special game, Rose printed him a picture of themselves made up of pixels reading “I love you more plus one”.

She also recently wrote him a customised song, dedicated to him, then had it uploaded on Spotify.

Now, Hassan just wants the world to remember his wife for the beautiful person she was - and for what she meant to all who loved her.

“She touched so many hearts. She was selfless, loving,” he said.

“A beautiful mother-of-four taken away too soon.

“Today I counted the final score on the brick wall to see who would be declared the ultimate winner of our game.

“And of course, she came out on top.”

A GoFundMe has been launched to help assist Hassan and his sons.

To donate, click here.