Why are young children dying suddenly and without explanation? According to a recent report in the BBC, a news source not known for its conspiratorial reporting or radical editorial stance, that’s the very question being asked by numerous parents across Britain whose young children have died suddenly recently.
One such parent, BBC reports, is Ms. Eleanor Wroath, whose 15-month-old daughter Miranda died in her sleep one night. As Ms. Wroatch put it, “My beautiful baby girl was lifeless in her bed. The single, most devastating and traumatic event of my life was about to unfold.” She then went on to note that the doctors said there was no explanation for the young girl’s death.
Further, Ms. Wroath noted that there is some degree of social stigma surrounding Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC). In her words:
“When somebody asks you how many children you have, you tell them what happened, they look horrified and confused, it’s bewildering, but you feel an obligation to explain. Not knowing how your child died is hard enough already, without having to explain it. They look shocked, because they have never heard of SUDC before, and then that becomes a mirror of your own pain and guilt. And then there is that question mark of judgement, did something untoward happen, then you ask yourself that question, was it my fault?“
Only, that incident didn’t occur recently. It occurred in 2008.
Another parent named in the BBC report is Kimberley Shepherd, a teacher from Somerset. She found her 11-year-old son, Liam Shepherd, dead in bed when she tried to wake him for school and never received an explanation as to why he died. In her words:
“He was a healthy, kind and beautiful boy. Never knowing why your only child was taken away from you is unbearable, there are so many unanswered questions that us parents will never understand. But through research and awareness, we can find answers.”
It is not clear when Liam died.
One child who the BBC notes died suddenly recently (2021), was Jude Hughes, whose mother, Natalie Hughes, said, “He seemed to be asleep slightly longer than usual, so I just tried to wake him up gently. He was not responding, I knew something was wrong, I quickly called 999.”
While the reason for SUDC is unknown, the BBC reports that Prof Peter Fleming said: “One important finding is that in the unexpected deaths of children between one and 18 there is a high incidence of a family history of convulsions. What this tells us is that research in this area is now a priority. It is crucial that we identify those factors so that support is given to make sure all families can create a safe environment for their children.”
But still, those parents are demanding answers. Fortunately, there’s a charity there to help them, a charity that even raised enough awareness of the issue for it to be debated in Parliamtent, as the BBC reported, saying:
Ms Hughes said there was very little information or support available when she lost Jude, thankfully the work of charity SUDC UK had helped to her to begin moving forward.
“They gave me hope that you can live alongside grief,” Ms Hughes said.
SUDC UK is a registered, national charity dedicated to raising awareness, funding research and supporting families affected.
[…]Because of the charity’s campaign, SUDC was debated in Parliament for the first time in January, led by former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, who said SUDC had not had the attention it deserved.
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