Grace Agnes Kenyon was just days from her second birthday when she passed away in her garden in Winchburgh. Her devastated family pay tribute to their ‘special girl’
A family has been left heartbroken after their “beautiful and special” baby daughter died suddenly while playing in the garden.
Little Grace Agnes Kenyon, who was just days away from her second birthday, had been giggling and running about with her older sister Charlotte, 7, last Saturday afternoon before she tragically passed away.
The toddler, from Winchburgh, began choking before she lost consciousness. Her frantic parents fought to revive her, but tragic Grace could not be saved. Mum Carly spoke to the Record, describing how the family are struggling to understand how a cheerful afternoon in the sunshine became their worst nightmare so rapidly.
The 31 year old told the Record: “It was just a regular day and Grace was enjoying being out in the garden after she woke up from her nap.”, reports the Daily Record. “She was chatting away, laughing, trying to copy her dad and sister doing gymnastics.
“I’ll never be able to get that image out of my head now that I have to live with how quickly it all changed. We have just been living in a blur since then. We’re absolutely shattered.”
Grace had struggled with swallowing since birth and lived with a feeding tube. Doctors suspected she had a rare condition in her throat called Glossopharyngeal Palsy, but she was awaiting a formal diagnosis.
When the tot started to choke, the family initially believed it might have been something they had witnessed before – a brief reflex they expected to pass. When her condition failed to improve despite efforts to clear her mouth, her father Nick dialled 999.
But within moments, Grace had passed away. Carly went on: “It wasn’t clear what was happening but then she started making this awful noise. I was hitting her back as she sat on my knee and then she began struggling to breath.
“We began doing CPR immediately, but I could just see she was already gone. Myself and Nick tried to help her for ten minutes before paramedics arrived. Poor Charlotte watched this all unfold in front of her.
“It was just horrific. There are no words to explain watching your child pass away in front of your eyes.”
The cause of Grace’s death remains undetermined and a post-mortem examination is scheduled for May 16.
Her family say they have been told there was no visible obstruction in her airway and have been informed that the examination may not provide a conclusive answer.
Paying tribute to her “special girl” Carla added: “Grace was happy and determined and she never let anything hold her back.
“She was a special little girl. She lit up every room she walked in and she made everyone’s heart melt with her infectious smile.
“It seems so cruel that life was ripped away from her so suddenly. She was only here for a short time but she made such an impact.”
A fundraiser has been established for Grace by friends and the community.