Kirsten and Keith Hodges married 42 years ago - it was her second marriage and his third.
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He used to joke that he needed the practice to be good enough for her.
"We couldn't lie in bed without holding hands," Mrs Hodges, aged 84, said.
In September, he died in their son's arms - now she's calling on the NSW Government to adequately fund Shoalhaven District Hospital.
He was sent home from the hospital after suffering pneumonia and a spinal infection, still unable to walk independently.
Mrs Hodges said he was not given the physiotherapy his doctor said he needed before being discharged, and a special bed she had ordered for him through the hospital had not been delivered.
Shortly after coming home, Mr Hodges fell on the way to the bathroom, and had to return to the hospital.
He was again discharged without physiotherapy, and the special bed still had not been delivered.
His next fall killed him.
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While she was helping Mr Hodges to the bathroom, he fell, and became stuck between his walker and the washing machine.
"I panicked, I couldn't lift him," Mrs Hodges said.
"It was pure luck my son (Steve) was staying with us. He came in to help. If you haven't experienced anything like it before ... we didn't know he was already dead."
Mrs Hodges called an ambulance as Steve delivered CPR. When the ambulance arrived, they confirmed the worst.
"The ambulance [paramedics] do an amazing job," Mrs Hodges said.
"But I still cry myself to sleep every night. It shouldn't have happened like that."
She and her son have made a formal complaint. They believe insufficient beds and staff led to Mr Hodges being discharged too early.
"When he was in hospital, it was very difficult to find out what was wrong with him and his treatment options, it was very difficult to speak to a doctor," Mrs Hodges said.
"There aren't enough of them, and the nurses weren't able to tell me about his treatment plan.
"On the third day I got to speak to a doctor, and he told me Keith needed at least two weeks of physiotherapy to strengthen his leg muscles so he could walk.
"He was in rehab for one day, and had no physiotherapy at all. Then they sent him home. We were told to organise our own transport."
Mrs Hodges hopes her story will make politicians act, not just talk: "I've heard a lot about the new car park - what good is a car park when there aren't enough beds?"
She said she was inspired by an article in the South Coast Register that questioned how many of the 5000 new nurses, promised at the last state election, have been delivered.
"I promised his photo that I would fight for him," she said.
"I would like to help others so he didn't die in vain.
"Something has to be done."
A spokesperson for the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) confirmed they had received a complaint about Mr Hodges care.
"As the matter is current, no further public comment can be made on the complaint," the spokesperson said.
"The Commission is statutorily required to assess a complaint within 60 days, however, for some complaints that are more complex, it may take longer for the assessment process to be completed."
Illawarra-Shoalhaven Local Health District's acting executive director clinical operations Suzanne Harris said the district investigates concerns raised by patients and their families, and that the district was unable to comment further while the HCCC investigation was underway.