Dad says he 'knew something was wrong' as he put daughter to bed hours before she died
A dad has admitted that 'he knew something was wrong' when he put his daughter to bed - and just hours later she was dead.
David Hutton, from Bury, had heard the sound of daughter Isla's laughter just hours beforehand as they walked up and down an escalator - something the six-year-old loved to do.
But when the pair got back to their Greater Manchester home, Isla was exhausted, so dad decided to tuck her up in bed.
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However, David had a feeling that something wasn't quite right, speaking to the Manchester Evening News, the 38-year-old said: "She climbed into bed but wouldn’t settle down.
"It was just desperation because I knew something wasn’t right."
The little girl was rushed to the nearby hospital, but tragically lost her life on 8 October 2022.
Currently, Isla's cause of death is not yet clear, though indications suggest that the six-year-old may have gone into cardiac arrest or suffered a seizure due to a pre-existing medical condition.
Just days after birth, Isla was diagnosed with long QT syndrome, an inherited heart signalling disorder that can cause fast and chaotic heart beats.
The condition - which affects one in every 2,000 people - put Isla at a constant risk of sudden fainting because her heart muscle took longer than normal to recharge between beats.
The first year of the little girl's life was spent for the majority in hospital, with Isla being quickly transferred to Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool after her diagnosis, where she was fitted with a pacemaker.
She was allowed home just before her first birthday, where she was treated with a drug called mexiletine.
However, the dosage was that high, Isla would often have seizures - so David gave up his job as a primary school teacher to look after her.
He said: "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 medical conditions such as QT syndrome.
In such a short time, Isla helped raised more than $15 million (£12.2 million) for drug research.
To raise awareness, David co-founded a charity called Team 1C, which provides support for families with children who have cardiac conditions.
He 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."
By taking part in JanuRun, David has raised £4,200 for Great Ormond Street Hospital and Children’s Charity.
He has also pledged to raise more money for the hospital that helped treat his daughter throughout her life.
Callum Jones