Girl, 9, dies days after complaining of headache as her heartbroken dad points warning
Hannah Teklic, 9, was a ‘free spirit’ who was ‘talented, kind, creative and caring’, her Sydney family said after she died from a rare arteriovenous malformation (AVM) brain bleed
Hannah’s body will be repatriated to Ireland(Image: GoFundMe)
Parents are hoping to raise awareness of a rare condition after their “best buddy” daughter tragically died from a severe brain haemorrhage.
Nine-year-old Hannah Teklic went to bed as normal on May 6 in Sydney, Australia, but woke up hours later complaining of a headache and neck pain. Tragically, the young girl passed away just days later.
“She said the pain was really bad and wanted to go to hospital because she thought she was going to die,” her mum Wasima Lamrani told the Daily Mail. Ms Lamrani initially thought the pain might have been due to Hannah dancing and doing cartwheels a few days earlier, so gave her daughter painkillers.
However, Hannah soon started vomiting, fell out of bed and suffered a seizure. She stopped breathing in the ambulance en route to the hospital where she underwent emergency surgery to remove excess fluid and alleviate pressure on her brain before being transferred to a children’s hospital.
Two days later, doctors delivered the heartbreaking news to Hannah’s parents that she had been declared brain dead and was unlikely to recover, reports the Mirror.
“There was nothing more they could do,” Hannah’s dad Ivan Teklic said. “We did not have the heart to turn off her life support on Mother’s Day, so we stayed with her until Monday. She was totally fine on Wednesday night. It makes no sense.”
It is believed that Hannah suffered from an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), a tangle of blood vessels causing abnormal connections between arteries and veins. This disrupts blood flow, preventing tissue from receiving oxygen.
AVM affects approximately three in 10,000 people and typically develops during foetal growth or shortly after birth, according to the Brain Foundation. “It literally came out of nowhere,” Mr Teklic revealed.
Teklic explained that AVM cannot be identified through scans and many sufferers remain symptom-free until the condition ruptures. He added: “Doctors told us that there was nothing that we could have done, even if we had called earlier for an ambulance.”
Hannah’s parents are determined that sharing her story will help raise awareness of the warning signs. Signs can include sudden and severe headache, vomiting, double or blurred vision, seizures, muscle weakness, neck stiffness, lethargy, disorientation and irritability.
The couple have paid tribute to their “best buddy” as a free spirit who was gifted, compassionate, imaginative and loving.
“Hannah loved everything and everyone,” Mr Teklic revealed. “She wouldn’t hurt a fly or walk on ants. Even when she lost something, she would be sad. Her energy was so huge.”
Her funeral took place on Monday and her body will be returned to her mother’s homeland, Ireland, where she will be laid to rest alongside her great-grandparents.
“She is a bright, beautiful soul who brought so much love, laughter and happiness to her mum, dad and everyone around her,” the organiser of a GoFundMe page to support Hannah’s family wrote.
“This unimaginable sudden loss has deeply affected her family in Australia, Ireland, Spain and Morocco. It has also impacted Hannah’s friends, classmates, teachers and all who knew and loved her (of which there are so many).”
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