Amber Milnes, 5 underwent a surgery at the hospital to treat sleep apnea.
But what was meant to be a routine procedure turned into a nightmare for her parents, Sereta and Lewis Milnes.
Amber’s family described the five-year-old as their “magical little princess.” She had her whole life ahead of her — but it was tragically cut short in April 2023.
The little girl from Cornwall, UK, died just four days after a routine tonsillectomy. A recent inquest has now revealed the heartbreaking truth of what happened to Amber.Amber Milnes underwent the surgery at Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro on April 5, 2023, to treat sleep apnea. The family had expected Amber to stay overnight in the hospital due to her rare condition, cyclical vomiting syndrome (CVS), which causes violent vomiting spells lasting hours.
Despite their repeated warnings to medical staff, Amber was discharged just hours after the operation.
By the early hours of April 6, Amber began vomiting and was readmitted that evening after about 20 episodes. While she received IV medication and treatment for a chest infection, a failed IV line meant she went 14 hours without fluids, pain relief, antibiotics, or anti-nausea medication.
Tragically, Amber suffered a catastrophic hemorrhage in the early hours of April 9 and was pronounced dead at 4:37 a.m.A post-mortem revealed the cause: a massive hemorrhage caused by a surgical-site infection that eroded an artery in her throat. Doctors confirmed the infection, not the surgery itself, led to her death.
Heartbreaking tribute from her parents
In a statement, Amber’s parents described her as “the happiest little girl” who “lit up our home with her singing, her dancing, her laughter and her heart of gold.”
