Latest news with #suddenloss
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Heartbreak as 'beautiful' schoolgirl, 10, dies suddenly in quiet village as tributes are paid to 'loved and valued' daughter
Tributes have been paid to a schoolgirl after her sudden death aged just 10 - as she was described as a 'loved and valued' as well as 'beautiful'. Lily Wilson passed away in the 320-population village of Simpson Cross in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales. There have been suggestions the death was linked to a suspected medical condition - and neighbours are now rallying to buy a heart defibrilator in her honour. Lily lived with devastated parents Andy and Kate and youngster sister Eva. Family friends are now raising money for a defibrillator after saying: 'Every rural village should have access to such vital resources.' The schoolgirl, described as a 'loved and valued pupil', died suddenly and a post mortem examination is expected to be held to give the cause of death. Funds raised will also help cover the costs of Lily's funeral - with £13,000 already donated, smashing the initial £2,000 target. Family friend Emma Robertson, who set up the JustGiving online appeal, wrote: 'Last week, dear friends Andy and Kate suffered the most devastating sudden and unexpected loss of their beautiful 10-year-old daughter Lily. 'The pain of the last week is a pain no parent should ever have to imagine, let alone navigate their way through. 'Lily was a loved and valued pupil in Roch community primary school and I know her friends, their parents and staff alike are all heartbroken at the sudden loss of Lily. 'With the permission of Kate and Andy, I would like to try and help raise funds to help with the financial burden of the funeral of beautiful Lily. 'Together, we could all help ensure that Lily has the special day she deserves and take away some of that worry from Andy and Kate, so they can focus their attention on Lily's little sister, Eva.' Ms Robertson said that any money left over would be put towards funding for a defibrillator. She added: 'Every rural village should have access to such vital resources,' she said. 'Maybe together, we can all help this happen.' Lily was a pupil at Roch Community Primary School where pupils have been told of the tragic loss.
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Awful mystery as 'healthy' boy aged just seven collapses and dies after attending friend's birthday party
A young Maryland boy died after collapsing at a friend's birthday party as they played an iconic childhood game. Brian, 7, went to the party on Saturday 'full of joy and excitement,' his family said on a GoFundMe page. However, the event took a horrific turn when the boy suddenly collapsed as the kids played hide-and-seek. He was rushed to the hospital, and despite doctors' best efforts, he was later pronounced deceased. 'His passing was sudden, unexpected, and left us with more questions than answers,' the family said. 'What makes this even more heartbreaking is that, after a thorough autopsy, doctors found no underlying health conditions or illness.' The boy's heartbroken mother, Mabell Nana, told Fox 5 they are devastated and desperately searching for answers. 'He was healthy, active, and full of joy. I don't know what happened, but for me and my family, it is very difficult to accept it,' Nana said. 'He was very healthy. Very healthy. He was always playing around, jumping around. Bryan will never just sit,' said Brian's brother, Simen Njotang. Family friend Pierre Nounaye, who was with the boy, told the local news station Brian was playful and full of life. 'Seeing him go like that, in my eyes, was really painful,' Nounaye said. 'I thought maybe he fell or something hurt him, but that wasn't the case. That wasn't the case.' Dr. Mena Mirhom of Columbia University Medical Center told Fox 5 ut not uncommon for autopsies to come back negative in cases like this. 'Autopsies look at the structural parts of the body—the heart, lungs, liver—but not the electrical patterns,' Mirhom said. 'Conditions like heart arrhythmias or seizure disorders wouldn't show up. And both can lead to sudden death without leaving physical evidence. 'The big thing, I think, that I try to sort of bring home to parents in this scenario is, something this rare and that is not visible on an autopsy, is something that you don't want to blame yourself, that you could have prevented this.' The family has launched a fundraiser to help cover the funeral and memorial expenses for Brian. 'Brian was full of life, laughter, and love. He had a kind heart and a bright spirit that touched everyone he met,' the said. 'Now, our family is trying to process this pain while preparing to give him the farewell he deserves.'
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
'Healthy' man, 32, had common pain and was dead months later
A heartbroken widow has spoken out about losing her 32-year-old husband to heart failure and warns that other young people could be at risk of sudden, untimely deaths. Edward Burr died unexpectedly in October 2024 after suffering with an underlying heart condition that he was completely unaware of. The first sign something was wrong was noticed just six months before his death - the day after his wedding day. Burr simply felt 'under the weather', but put this down to a possible bug he may have caught while being in close proximity to 60 people. His wife Laura, 31, from Banbury, Oxfordshire said: 'That escalated into going into our local hospital and him being diagnosed with pneumonia.' There, it was also found that Burr's heart was behaving 'abnormally' and he was transferred to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford but on the ambulance journey there he developed 'active heart failure'. Burr's condition further 'deteriorated' in the middle of July and on July 19 he underwent open heart surgery at the Harefield Hospital in London, where he had a machine fitted to help his heart continue operating. Doctors planned for him to receive a heart transplant, but the wait was too long and he passed away from multiple organ failure in October last year. Burr's wife said: 'The pneumonia tipped his body over and he couldn't deal with the heart problem we didn't know he had. 'I was a bride and a wife at 30, I'm now a widow at 31 - those words should never come out of somebody's mouth.' Studies estimate that around 400,000 people in the UK with heart failure are undiagnosed and roughly 10 per cent of all patients are under 50. Heart failure occurs when the organ is unable to pump blood around the body properly, likely due to it becoming weak or stiff. This leads to reduced oxygen and nutrients reaching the organs and tissues. The condition is typically caused by lifestyle-related problems that cause strain on the heart, such as high blood pressure and atherosclerosis (when cholesterol clogs the arteries). Symptoms include shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling in the legs and ankles, irregular heartbeats, dizziness, nausea, and pain in the arms, jaw, or back. Gabby Evans, 32, a registered nurse from Burnley, Lancashire, also lost her partner to an undiagnosed heart condition. Tom Brakewell died from hidden cardiovascular disease in January 2025, aged 34, just two weeks after suffering sudden chest pains. Evans said: 'He was admitted to hospital for a week on January 18 because they thought he'd had a heart attack, but it was the high blood pressure causing similar symptoms. 'They got his blood pressure down and he was discharged - he was fine and he said he felt okay.' Three days later, she woke up in the morning and found Brakewell had 'stopped breathing'. Evans said: 'I turned on the light and just knew instantly something wasn't right, I started doing chest compressions before the paramedics came. 'They worked on him for about 45 minutes before they made the decision they couldn't carry on and Tom wasn't with us. 'I was with him when they pronounced him.' He died from a cardiac arrest on January 28 2025 - with the cause later determined to be high hypertension and coronary heart disease. Evans added: 'His heart was damaged and he'd had it for a long period.' Both women are now calling for mandatory health screenings for younger adults to spot underlying heart conditions sooner. Evans said: 'If he had full tests earlier it may have been picked up sooner.' On May 2, Burr and Evans launched a petition calling for mandatory tests for those aged between 25 and 35. Burr said: 'If Edward and Tom had been tested earlier or they had any kind of health MOT, it would have been picked up earlier and we may have had more time with them. The nurse added: 'If we were to have these mandatory health checks, no one would have to go through what we've gone through. 'Grief and losing someone is part of life, but not at this age.' A Department Of Health A nd Social Care spokesperson said: 'Our deepest sympathies are with the families of Edward and Tom. 'The NHS's life-saving health checks are targeted towards those at higher risk, preventing around 500 heart attacks and strokes every year and stopping people developing a range of diseases. 'To increase availability and uptake of the checks, we are developing a new online service that eligible people can use at home to understand their risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.'
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
'Healthy' man, 32, had common pain...months later he was dead - thousands more could be at risk of 'ticking time bomb disease', campaigners warn
A heartbroken widow has told of her shock at losing her 32-year-old husband to heart failure and has warned thousands more young people could be at risk of sudden, untimely deaths. Edward Burr died unexpectedly in October 2024 after suffering with an underlying heart condition that he was blissfully unaware of. The first sign something was wrong struck just six months before his death—the day after his wedding day. Mr Burr simply felt 'under the weather', but put this down to a possible bug he may have caught while being in close proximity to 60 people. 'That escalated into going into our local hospital and him being diagnosed with pneumonia,' said his wife Laura, 31, from Banbury, Oxfordshire. There, it was also found his heart was behaving 'abnormally' and he was transferred to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford—but on the ambulance journey it was discovered he had developed 'active heart failure'. Mr Burr then 'deteriorated' in the middle of July and on July 19, underwent open heart surgery at the Harefield Hospital in London, where he had a machine fitted to help his heart pump blood around the body. Doctors planned for him to receive a heart transplant, but the wait was too long — and he passed away from multiple organ failure in October last year. 'The pneumonia tipped his body over and he couldn't deal with the heart problem we didn't know he had,' Mrs Burr said. 'I was a bride and a wife at 30, I'm now a widow at 31—those words should never come out of somebody's mouth.' It's estimated that around 400,000 people in the UK with heart failure are undiagnosed, according to studies. And roughly 10 per cent of all patients are under 50. Heart failure is when the organ is unable to pump blood around the body properly, likely because it has become weak or stiff. This leads to reduced oxygen and nutrients to the organs and tissues. The condition is typically caused by lifestyle-related problems that strain the heart, such as high blood pressure and atherosclerosis (when cholesterol clogs the arteries). Symptoms include shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling in the legs and ankles, irregular heartbeats, dizziness, nausea, and pain in the arms, jaw, or back. Gabby Evans, 32, a registered nurse from Burnley, Lancashire, also lost her partner to an undiagnosed heart condition. Tom Brakewell died from hidden cardiovascular disease in January 2025, aged 34, just two weeks after suffering sudden chest pains. 'He was admitted to hospital for a week on January 18 because they thought he'd had a heart attack, but it was the high blood pressure causing similar symptoms,' said Ms Evans. 'They got his blood pressure down and he was discharged—he was fine and he said he felt okay.' Three days later, she woke up in the morning and found Mr Brakewell had 'stopped breathing'. 'I turned on the light and just knew instantly something wasn't right, I started doing chest compressions before the paramedics came,' she said. 'They worked on him for about 45 minutes before they made the decision they couldn't carry on and Tom wasn't with us. 'I was with him when they pronounced him.' He died from a cardiac arrest on January 28 2025—with the cause later determined to be high hypertension and coronary heart disease. 'His heart was damaged and he'd had it for a long period,' Ms Evans said. Now, both women are calling for mandatory health screenings for younger adults to spot underlying heart conditions. 'If he had full tests earlier it may have been picked up sooner,' Ms Evans said. On May 2, the duo launched a petition calling for mandatory tests for those aged between 25 and 35. 'If Edward and Tom had been tested earlier or they had any kind of health MOT, it would have been picked up earlier and we may have had more time with them,' Mrs Burr said. The nurse added: 'If we were to have these mandatory health checks, no one would have to go through what we've gone through. 'Grief and losing someone is part of life, but not at this age.' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'Our deepest sympathies are with the families of Edward and Tom. 'The NHS's life-saving health checks are targeted towards those at higher risk, preventing around 500 heart attacks and strokes every year and stopping people developing a range of diseases. 'To increase availability and uptake of the checks, we are developing a new online service that eligible people can use at home to understand their risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.'
Daily Mail
11-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Schoolgirl, 13, was found dead in bath as inquest hears she may have had an epileptic seizure
A teenage girl was found dead in the bath, an inquest opening heard. Emergency services were called to the home of Kiara Ainsworth in Accrington, Lancashire, on April 27 this year. Kiara, 13, had been found unresponsive in the bath and sadly could not be resuscitated. Due to the circumstances of Kiara's sudden death it was reported to the coroner's service which launched an investigation. An inquest, which opened on Thursday at Preston Coroner's Court, heard that Kiara had a 'significant medical history' including epilepsy. Area Coroner Kate Bisset said: 'She was found deceased at home in the bath in circumstances which suggest she may well have had an epileptic seizure whilst in the bath.' A final inquest into Kiara's death will be held on August 7. Tributes from family and friends have poured in for the 'beautiful and kind' 13-year-old. A May 2 Facebook post by Christine Houghton reads: 'On behalf of Zara, Hayden, Adrian and all of our family and friends we'd like to say how much we appreciate all your kind words, condolences and gestures of support while we grieve the loss of Kiara. 'She was the most beautiful and kind, fun and sassy 13 year old girl you could hope to meet and has left a huge hole in our hearts. 'We now know that Kiara tragically passed due to an epileptic episode which has left us heartbroken.'
