Lisa Curry has marked the fifth anniversary of her daughter Jaimi’s death with a moving social media tribute in which she described the “slow and inevitable breaking” of the family’s hearts and said she is finally able to smile again.
The former champion swimmer posted a video montage of photographs of her daughter on Sunday and wrote that the family’s grief began before Jaimi’s death on Sept. 14, 2020, when she was 33, after a long battle with alcoholism and an eating disorder. Curry, 63, said the pain of watching a loved one die remains vivid but that the family has begun to feel “lighter, able to smile, laugh and continue on.”
In the caption accompanying the video, Curry wrote, “The grief started before she was gone. Not knowing when or if that awful day would ever come. Living with hope, living in fear. It was all-consuming. The slow and inevitable breaking of our hearts as we watched our baby fade away.” She added that, although Jaimi “still kept smiling right to the end,” the family could see “the sadness in her eyes.”
Curry has combined public reflection with advocacy. In May 2025 she asked for volunteers to take part in a genetic study led by researchers at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) that aims to identify genetic markers linked to eating disorders. Organisers told Australian media the project seeks to recruit 4,000 volunteers in Australia as part of a wider international target of 100,000 participants, and that saliva samples would be collected to look for predisposition markers.
Professor Nick Martin of QIMR, speaking in coverage of the study, said genetic disposition is a significant component in many eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. Curry has spoken publicly about her motivation for supporting the research, saying she hoped it might help explain why some people develop these conditions and ultimately prevent future deaths.
Curry has also discussed Jaimi’s final moments in media interviews. In an appearance on Nine News earlier this year she described how her daughter’s breathing stopped and how the family has worked to keep her memory alive. The social media tribute on Sunday reiterated those themes, combining recollection of grief with expressions of ongoing love and remembrance.
Mental-health and eating-disorder charities encourage people who need support to contact specialist services. In Australia The Butterfly Foundation operates a national helpline on 1800 33 4673. In emergencies callers should dial 000.
Curry’s public reflections come amid broader conversations about the role of genetics, treatment access and stigma in the prevention and care of eating disorders. The QIMR-led study aims to add data to the field by linking genetic information with clinical and demographic records, an approach researchers say can help refine risk prediction and inform earlier interventions.