A GRIEVING mum has shared her heartbreak after losing her “perfect” toddler just days after a routine operation to have her tonsils out.
Jessica Yugovich is now desperately waiting for answers over what ultimately led to three-year-old Aliyah’s untimely death.
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Aliyah Yugovich underwent a tonsillectomy at St John of God, a Catholic Hospital in Australia, on June 28 and was discharged the following day, according to 7NEWS.
Just three days later, on July 1, the three-year-old landed back in hospital with flu-like symptoms.
Doctors at Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH) diagnosed her with Influenza A and discharged her on July 3.
The next morning her parents were forced to call an ambulance when Aliyah started coughing and vomiting up blood.
Read more on tonsillectomies
Paramedics rushed to perform CPR at the scene before she was rushed back to PCH and placed in a coma and put on life support.
Tragically, brain scans and an EEG showed there was no brain activity and Aliyah’s parents were tragically left to switch off her life support. She died on July 7.
Aliyah’s mother, Jessica, described her daughter as “too perfect for this world” in an emotional post on Facebook.
“Life will never be the same without you,” she wrote.
“You are the most beautiful girl to ever step foot on this earth.
“None of this is fair, it was never meant to be (this) way, but I hope you know how proud we are of you.
“You fought until the very end, but it’s time to let you rest. We love you to the moon and back, always and forever our little angel.”
A coroner’s report is expected to provide some answers regarding Aliyah’s cause of death in the coming days.
‘Heartfelt condolences’
A GoFundMe has been set up to help support Aliyah’s devastated parents as they live though “every parent’s worst nightmare”.
“Anything you can contribute, big or small, it all helps,” it says on the webpage.
“It means it is more time they will have to grieve without rushing back to work”.
So far, the page has raised $82,781 AUD (£42,830) for the couple.
St John of God Health Care Acting Group chief executive Ben Edwards expressed condolences to the family.
“St John of God Health Care is deeply saddened by this news and expresses our heartfelt condolences for the family’s devastating loss of Aliyah,” Mr Edwards told news.com.au.
“We can confirm the patient underwent an elective procedure at St John of God Murdoch Hospital.
“Our priority at this time is to protect the family’s privacy and are therefore making no additional comments.”
Child and Adolescent Health Service acting chief executive Simon Wood said the death has been reported to the coroner, according to the West Australian.
“The Child and Adolescent Health Service offers the family our sincere condolences in relation to the passing of their child and extends our support in this time of grief,” he said.
“The death has been reported to the coroner, as is the usual process, and the cause of death will be determined following coronial post-mortem examination and investigation.”
What is a tonsillectomy and is it safe?
A tonsillectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the tonsils.
The tonsils are two small glands in the throat that are part of the body’s immune system and help protect against infection.
The NHS may perform a tonsillectomy to treat breathing problems or when the tonsils become infected repeatedly.
Although the operation is safe, there are some potential risks, including bleeding, tooth damage, sore throat, earache, and feeling sick.
You may want to wait and see if the problem improves on its own before deciding to have surgery/
Source: NHS
