A family has been left devastated after their two-year-old daughter, Grace Agnes Kenyon, died suddenly while playing in the garden, just days before her second birthday. The toddler, from Winchburgh, Scotland, had been laughing and playing with her older sister Charlotte, 7, last Saturday afternoon when she began gagging and lost consciousness. Despite her parents' efforts to resuscitate her, Grace could not be saved.
A Normal Day Turns Tragic
Mother Carly, 31, described how a happy afternoon in the sunshine turned into their worst nightmare. 'It was just a regular day and Grace was enjoying being out in the garden after she woke up from her nap. 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 experienced difficulties with swallowing since birth and lived with a feeding tube. Medics suspected she had a rare condition called Glossopharyngeal Palsy, but she was awaiting a formal diagnosis.
The Fatal Incident
When Grace began to gag, her family initially thought it was a brief reflex they had witnessed before. However, her condition did not improve despite efforts to clear her mouth. Father Nick dialled 999, but Grace was gone in seconds. Carly recounted: '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 breathe. We began doing CPR immediately, but I could just see she was already gone.'
The couple performed CPR 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,' Carly added.
Uncertain Cause of Death
The cause of Grace's death has not yet been established. A post-mortem examination is scheduled for May 16. Her family has been advised that no visible obstruction was found in her airway, and the examination may not provide a definitive answer.
A Tribute to a Special Girl
Paying tribute to her daughter, Carly said: '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 GoFundMe page has been set up for Grace by friends and the local community to support the family.
