A 19-year-old first-time mother and her newborn baby tragically passed away within hours of each other after an emergency C-section.
Mellodie felt dizzy on the way to a scan on Friday, January 31. She told the doctor she felt faint, and the doctor said her iron was low. She went home to Atherton with medicine.
The next day, Mellodie struggled to breathe and had trouble seeing. Paramedics rushed her to the hospital, where they tried CPR to revive her.
At the hospital, doctors did an emergency C-section, and Mellodie gave birth to Athena-Pearl. This happened early Sunday, February 2, seven weeks before her due date. Mellodie died an hour later, and baby Athena-Pearl was not expected to live.
Steven Darby, Mellodie’s uncle, said they got a call around four o’clock that baby Athena was getting worse. They needed to return to the hospital. They baptized Athena and placed her on a portable machine.
Then, they put Athena in Mellodie’s arms and turned off her life support.
Daniel Darbyshire, Mellodie’s partner, is eighteen. He took Athena back to the neonatal ward and spent more time with her there. Athena passed away before 6:30 PM.
Steven Darby said Daniel lost everything, and everything he wanted seems worse now. They are supporting him as best they can. The family now faces steep funeral costs, including Mellodie’s mom, Justine Ryan, age 52.
Justine said Mellodie was sassy and upfront, always saying how it was. Mellodie knew what she wanted and found the funny side of things. Steven described the situation, mentioning an investigation will happen as Mellodie was healthy with no complications, and they cannot understand this tragedy.
They must arrange the funerals now. Steven wants to ease the financial burden and started a fundraiser for the family. The doctors and team were fantastic and did their best to save Athena. The situation was traumatic for the staff too, and they supported the family.
