Girl, 12, died on holiday after she fell ill had been ‘suffering from headaches’ the night before

A 12-year-old girl who tragically died on holiday after she fell ill had been 'suffering from headaches' the night before.

Gemma Caffrey sadly passed away in hospital after falling ill while on holiday with her parents at Haggerston Castle in Northumbria.

She was due to be assessed by her GP when she returned home, an inquest that took place yesterday (14 March) has heard.

Gemma was taken to Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital (NSECH), in Cramlington.

Today (15 March), an inquest heard how Gemma had been suffering from headaches which had been causing her to wake in the night before the family's trip away.

Gemma's mum, Alison, had called her GP and asked for an appointment for her daughter, which had been arranged for October 19, 2021 - when the family returned home to Hamilton, in Lanarkshire.

But on October 11, 2021, Gemma started to feel increasingly unwell.

She taken to NSECH before being transferred to the Great North Children's Hospital at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) before being subsequently admitted to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).

NCJMEDIA SYNDICATION

Then, mere days later on October 25, 2021, Gemma sadly passed away.

Assistant Coroner Karen Dilks heard that Gemma suffered seizures during her time in hospital and a decision was made for her to undergo a craniectomy to remove a section of her skull to relieve pressure on her brain.

She was transferred to intensive care following surgery, where Gemma suffered cardiac arrest in the days following the procedure.

Pathologist Colin Saysell told Newcastle Coroner's Court that he examined Gemma on October 28 and documented that the cause of Gemma's death was severe and irreversible brain injury due to Venous Sinus Thrombosis (VST) - clots forming in the vessels that take blood from the head.

However, he was unable to identify the underlying cause of VST.

Paying tribute to their daughter following the inquest, Gemma‘s parents said: "Gemma was happy, bubbly and always smiling. Her laugh was very infectious too."

The grieving parents added: "She was full of life and very, very clever. She loved school and socialising with her friends. We run our own business and if we ever went away she would come with us - she was very well travelled."

The inquest continues.

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.