Leanne was eight days away from her 21st birthday when she met army colonel Nick Brown on a night out in Wagga Wagga.
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Over the course of the 14-year relationship that followed the couple spoke about being organ donors some day, conversations Mr Brown is tragically grateful for.
Leanne died in Canberra Hospital just eight months after the couple had started their family in the ACT.
Mr Brown said the most humbling moment of his life was holding their daughter Winnie as Leanne was wheeled from the Intensive Care Unit where she had died in the operating theater.
"I was walking behind her bed and as we turned the final corner there was a whole honor guard of about 20 doctors and nurses standing there very silently to pay their respect as she went through," he said.
"I'll never forget the feeling that I got in that moment. Helping her donate her organs is probably the most honourable thing I'll ever do for someone."
I've started saying things like 'hey last time we saw your mum she went off and saved four lives'.
- Nick Brown
Mr Brown has shared their story ahead of DonateLife Week, which raises awareness of organ and tissue donation in Australia.
With the support of Leanne's sister Stacey, Mr Brown fulfilled his wife's wishes to donate her lungs, liver and kidneys.
Earlier this year he received a letter from the daughter of a recipient of one of Leanne's organs.
"She said her mum got to see her walk down the aisle as a result of Leanne's donation," he said.
"I'd always known that we'd done the right thing but I felt 10-foot tall and bulletproof after I read that."
With two-year-old Winnie now at daycare, Mr Brown said she had started to ask why her mum didn't pick her up.
"I tell her your mum died and she's in heaven and she loved us very much," he said.
"But that gets a little bit old after a while. I've started saying things like 'hey last time we saw your mum she went off and saved four lives'."
Mr Brown said if Leanne had not died by suicide he'd have said she had a mild case of bipolar disorder.
"I've probably learnt now that there's no such thing," he said.
"She was very, very private about it as is the case with a lot of people who live with that illness. When I reflect on it now she was probably the toughest person I've ever met.
"Some of the challenges she had when she was depressed and her ability to pick herself up and get on with it was inspiring and heartbreaking at the same time.
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"Leanne's position on donating was about helping others, but it really, really helped us through that tragic moment.
"None of us know how we're going to leave this Earth but if there's one thing we might be able to do to help our families to move forward then I'd encourage people to donate their organs.
"Just after I watched Leanne be wheeled through an honour guard one of the DonateLife nurses came up to me and put a little lapel pin on my shirt.
"She told me Leanne loved Winnie and I and gave me a little kiss from her and said she was really proud of us - in that moment I sort of got a second family."
- Support is available for those who may be distressed by phoning Lifeline 13 11 14; Mensline 1300 789 978; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; beyondblue 1300 224 636; 1800-RESPECT 1800 737 732.
- For more information on organ donation, visit donatelife.gov.au.