A Lanarkshire family have been left heartbroken after their ‘amazing’ five-year-old daughter died suddenly following what they thought was a vomiting bug.
Isabella Grace Docherty, known as Bella, tragically passed away on Tuesday, February 14, hours after she began complaining of feeling sick.
Paramedics battled in vain to save the youngster, however, she died at Wishaw General Hospital a short time later.
Devastated mum Pamela Little, from Newarthill, said: “Her post-mortem came back as inconclusive. We don’t know why this happened and it’s killing us inside.
“She began vomiting suddenly earlier on in the day but it was nothing majorly concerning.
“We cancelled her swimming lesson that night as we thought she had picked up a tummy bug because we knew a lot of her friends from nursery had been ill too.
“She threw up a few more times and was a little agitated but she didn’t have a temperature so we weren’t worried.
“There were no red flags whatsoever.”
Pamela said Bella’s dad Brian took her downstairs after she was struggling to sleep in her bed.
She added: “She was slightly unsettled, and wouldn’t sleep so he thought he would take her downstairs to see if she would settle on the couch with him.
“At 4am she vomited suddenly and collapsed on the floor. Brian screamed at me to come down me. When I came in he was holding her in his arms.
"I brushed her hair away from her face and my instincts told me she was gone.
“We phoned for an ambulance and did CPR, a neighbour came to help until paramedics came and after that, it’s just a nightmare.
“I just remember seeing her face and realising something bad had happened.”
Last year doctors discovered an abnormality on Bella’s brain stem following an MRI scan, however Pamela and Brian were told this was not life threatening and said they do not believe it to have been connected with her death.
Pamela added: “She has some issues with her brain, but nothing that we were told to be worried about.
"Her behaviour had suddenly changed after she had chicken pox last summer, so she had ct scans and an MRI and they had said there was an abnormality on her brain stem but it wasn’t life threatening. Doctors said it could have been something she was born with.
“They didn’t no exactly what it was and now they may never find out. She was due to go into the hospital last week as an in patient for some testing but unfortunately, suddenly, she’s gone.”
Pamela, who is also mum to Leon, 15, and Ellie, 13, said the family’s world has been turned upside down by little Bella’s death.
She added: “We are absolutely broken. Bella was our funny, caring little diva and now we just want the world to know how amazing she was.
“Me and her dad are taking it hour by hour. The kids are devastated. Ellie saw everything so she’s pretty traumatised. She shared a room with Bella so she’s not came home yet.”
A fundraising page has been set up to help pay for Bella’s funeral.
Organiser Stacey Banks wrote: “With permission from the family, I have set this page up for anyone who wishes to help the family at this devastating time.
“The unbearable pain and suffering the family are going through at the moment is unimaginable.
"Any donations towards our beautiful Bella’s celebration of life would be greatly appreciated.”
To donate click here.
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