Miss Austria Lucia Sisic Dies at 22
Miss Austria Lucia Sisic died at 22, her family confirmed. Born with a heart defect, she underwent seven heart surgeries, the last one just last winter.
Lucia Sisic, the reigning Miss Austria, has died at 22. The news, announced on September 8, was confirmed by family friend Miroslav Piplica, who said goodbye to her with a short message on social media.
“Our Lucia is gone, too soon and forever,” Piplica wrote.
Has the cause of death been confirmed?
The reports do not agree. Serbian outlet Kurir, citing Croatia’s Story.hr, says Sisic died of cardiac arrest. German outlets t-online.de and Promiflash, however, reported the same day that the exact cause of death has not yet been officially confirmed. No statement has been issued so far by doctors or any institution.
One thing is certain: Sisic had fought heart problems since birth. She had a heart valve defect, and her childhood and youth were marked by surgeries, hospital stays, and long breaks from everything her peers did without a second thought.
Seven surgeries in 22 years of life
She underwent her first heart surgery right after she was born. “My first surgery was right after I was born. Four more followed,” she said earlier in an interview with Austria’s Heute. By the end, she had gone through seven procedures in total, the last one just last winter.
After that seventh surgery, she wrote to her followers on Instagram.
“Hi, a small update. I’ve now had my seventh procedure, and I’m overjoyed that I can officially take a break now, hopefully for a few years,” she wrote at the time.
The hardest moment came in 2017. Sisic was just 13 when a surgery nearly ended in tragedy.
“I was 13 and had to be resuscitated during the surgery; it was really close,” she said, her voice reportedly shaking as she recalled it.
Even that was not the end of it. The procedure left effects that no one immediately understood.
“My left leg and foot were numb and incredibly painful. Even a breeze hurt. But no one knew what was wrong. I ended up being admitted to the hospital, where I spent five months,” she said.
The nerves in her leg and foot were completely paralyzed. She had to learn to walk all over again.
“I had to learn to walk again. I’m still working on it today. Even if you can no longer see it when I walk, I still feel it,” she recalled.
Her illness kept her from living like her peers. “Sports weeks happened without me. My childhood was simply different, but it also made me stronger. I don’t want pity, I want to encourage others!” she once said.
While competing for the Miss Austria title, she did not want the public to know about her illness. She did not want to be pitied.
The 2024 crown and roots in Bosnian Posavina
Sisic was born in Vienna. Her parents, Ivo and Manda Sisic, come from Bosnian Posavina, near Brcko. Though she grew up in the Austrian capital, she often said she was proud of her roots. Just three weeks ago, she posted photos on Instagram from a vacation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
She won the Miss Austria title in 2024. Since no new Miss Austria pageant was held after her win, she kept the crown until her death, for two full years.
Friends and followers have been paying tribute to her on social media since the news broke, recalling how openly she spoke about her struggle and how, in her own words, she wanted to use it to encourage others going through something similar.
