The family of Illawarra paramedic Steven Tougher has opened up about the heart-wrenching months that have followed his public stabbing death outside Campbelltown McDonald in April.
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Speaking to Channel 9's A Current Affair, his parents Jeff and Jill, and wife Madison Tougher echoed their speeches at Steven's funeral, telling how he had always dreamed of becoming a paramedic and how excited he had been to become a dad a second time.
Madison said she had decided now was the right time to tell people about Steven and his second child and newborn daughter, Lily-Mae Stevie Tougher, who was born on Thursday, May 18, four weeks after Steven died.
"Some of the darkest days, she's just made so much happier," Madison said.
"She's brought so much love and happiness into everyone's lives, and my life especially."
The family shared the news of Lily-Mae's birth with the wider community through NSW Ambulance earlier this month, saying she weighed 4.1 kilograms and measured 48 centimetres in length when she was born.
In the ACA interview, Maddison said she could not believe the timing of the major life events the family had been through in the past few months.
![Tougher family opens up about painful aftermath of Steven's stabbing death Tougher family opens up about painful aftermath of Steven's stabbing death](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/HcD9H4nNcktxiWcmkEEpQD/29935450-5cb5-48be-8c68-2edf90d48932.jpg/r0_40_1367_808_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"We had a marriage certificate in March, in April I had a death certificate and then in May I've had a birth certificate," she said.
At Steven's memorial service in early May, Madison cried and laughed as she spoke about their wedding day which came just seven weeks before his death.
"On that day, I made a promise to you, I vowed to love you for the rest of my days and I became your wife," she said.
"Today, just seven weeks later, I make a new vow to you. Today I vow that our two beautiful children will always know what a selfless hardworking, kind, and compassionate person you were.
"They will forever understand how their dad was a hero who helped people through the most painful and sickest times."
Steven's mum Jill, told ACA the family was still in total shock and trying to come to terms with what had happened.
"It's hard. For me it's going to take a long, long time," she said.
"I'll never be the same after that day."
Dad Jeff said he was always worried about Steven's safety as a paramedic, telling of the morning when the phone call came to say he'd been stabbed.
"I heard in [Jill's] voice, I couldn't hear exactly what was said, but I just heard Jill go,'oh no, oh no, no' and I jumped out of bed and said what's happened what's going on. She said 'Steven 's been stabbed'.
"As we got out at the hospital, the police met us and they said 'your son's deceased' and we were just shattered."
Jeff also spoke about his fight to make sure Steven's name lives on and his commitment to remaining compassionate, as Steven would have wished.
The family has been talking with the NSW Government about improving safety for paramedics through the use of body-worn cameras and other measures, as well as whether it is possible to bring in tougher penalties for those who harm essential workers on duty, to be called Steven's Law.
"He will be immortal. Me and my boy are going to change things," Jeff said.
Health Minister and Keira MP Ryan Park has previously confirmed that discussions will continue regarding Tougher's Law, to introduce stronger protections for frontline healthcare workers.
"We need to be careful while there's still a criminal case and a court case on foot," he said.
"We just have to make sure that we're not doing anything that puts that at risk, but we'll continue those engagements as well as other things that we're looking at to improve safety."
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