A dad has been left devastated after tucking his daughter into bed for her to die just hours later. David Hutton, 38, says he "knew something was wrong" when putting his six-year-old, Isla, to sleep one evening.
Manchester Evening News reports that the tot may have gone into cardiac arrest or suffered a seizure when she passed away last year. The tragic incident happened at the family's home in Greater Manchester on October 8.
David says as he tucked up Isla in her bed, he immediately knew something was wrong. He said: "She climbed into bed but wouldn’t settle down. It was just desperation because I knew something wasn’t right.”
Isla was rushed to a nearby hospital but tragically passed away. When Isla was born in 2015, she was diagnosed with long QT syndrome, or LQTS. This a heart signalling disorder that can cause fast, chaotic heartbeats (arrhythmias) and affects one in every 2,000 people.
The condition meant Isla’s heart muscle took longer than normal to recharge between beats and she was at constant risk of sudden fainting. It also came with the fatal factor that young people with LQTS syndrome have an increased risk of sudden death.
In order to look after his daughter, David, gave up his job as a primary school teacher to become her full-time carer. He added: “Life just feels so different. It feels like yesterday that she would come and climb on my knee, yet it feels like a lifetime ago. I can see the impact she had on other people and it’s been comforting.
“I was by her side in hospital the whole time. Time seem to flash by but it was like slow motion. I wouldn’t have wanted her to be suffering. If she came back around, I wanted her to still be the happy little girl she was. She was the happiest little girl you could have ever met.”
During her life, Isla became the mascot for Thryv Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing inhibitors to treat various conditions, including long QT syndrome. The young girl helped the company to secure more than $15m for drug research in the US, with the team using her as the driving force behind their work.
Inspired by his child, David also went on to co-found charity Team 1C, an organisation which provides a network of support for children with cardiac conditions and their families.
David said: “While bittersweet, it is a huge comfort to me knowing that Isla’s story has inspired a potential cure for Long QT and is helping in the battle against cancer. She may go on to save countless lives.”
The father has now pledged to raise cash for the hospital that helped treat Isla throughout her life to honour her memory. He has managed to raise £4,200 for Great Ormond Street Hospital and Children’s Charity by taking part in JanuRun, where he will run 31 miles throughout the month of January.
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