Girl, 6, who was ‘always smiling’ dies after routine NHS op goes wrong and parents forced to turn off life support

RUBY Trussler, six, had her appendix removed in March last year in what seemed like a smooth and successful operation.

But seven months later, in early October 2024, Ruby, from Harlow, Essex, told her mum, Emma Trussler, 45, she had a stomach ache and vomited.

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It was presumed that she had caught a sick bug that was going around her primary school, but Ruby’s condition worsened and she was admitted to A&E at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow, on October 7.

Ruby was seriously dehydrated and her vomit was green, and doctors realised that she had an abdominal adhesion, an obstruction of the bowel caused by the scar tissue from her appendix removal.

She was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge early the following morning where the obstruction was cleared, but unfortunately Ruby never regained consciousness.

After two more operations, including the amputation of her leg caused by a blocked artery, Emma and her husband took the painful decision to turn off her life support.

“We thought we couldn’t let her go on like this,” Emma said.

“It was the hardest thing we’ve ever done. She was the perfect daughter.”

The six-year-old was a happy, outgoing child who loved singing and dancing. She was popular at William Martin Primary School in Harlow and although she was in year two, had friends of different age groups.

“She was always smiling,” Emma, a child carer from Harlow, said.

In March 2024, aged six, Ruby contracted appendicitis and had her appendix removed in a standard procedure at Princess Alexandra Hospital.

The operation was deemed a success and Ruby’s life continued as normal.

Five months later, in early October, Ruby told her mother that she had stomach pains.

When she was sick, it was presumed she had the bug going around her primary school at the time.

However, the condition worsened over the weekend and Ruby seemed to be unusually tired, spending long hours asleep.

On October 7, she was taken to A&E at Princess Alexandra, where it was discovered she had an abdominal adhesion, where a band of scar tissue sticks organs or tissues together.

Ruby’s was formed after the appendix operation, a risk listed by the NHS as a possible side-effect of appendectomies.

The family were told she would be transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital but it was not until the following morning that Ruby was taken, a delay which Emma thinks may have had a bearing on the outcome.

When they did eventually leave, Emma said: “We got from Harlow to Cambridge in 26 minutes. It would normally take an hour but the ambulance drove at 96 miles an hour.”

At Addenbrooke’s, the surgeon was able to clear the obstruction – however, Ruby did not wake up.

The following day it was discovered that she had sepsis and that the bowel obstruction had caused a blocked artery in her left leg.

Her leg was amputated and fears then arose around her right leg and her hands too.

Ruby remained unconscious after the amputation. On October 10, in an attempt to revive her, they opened her stomach to relieve pressure and drain excess fluid.

Though this was achieved, Ruby’s condition continued to worsen. Her blood pressure was varying rapidly, as was her temperature and heart rate, and she was struggling to breathe.

On October 11, Emma and her husband made the painful decision to withdraw her life support.

The cause of death was listed as multiple organ failure caused by sepsis.

“They’d tried everything and we thought we couldn’t do this to her anymore,” Emma said. “Enough was enough. We had to make that decision.

“The whole family was able to say goodbye to her. It was the hardest thing we’ve ever done. She was the perfect daughter.”

Ruby left behind three older half sisters and four-year-old twin brothers.

“Her brothers have coped really well. We talk about her every day and they draw pictures of her all the time,” Emma said.

A GoFundMe page was set up by a friend to raise money for a family trip to Disneyland Paris, which Emma had promised Ruby while she was in hospital.

She said: “Ruby’s dream was to go to Disneyland. It’s so sad she’ll never go but our whole family is going on her birthday in November this year to remember her.

“We can’t bring Ruby back, we know that, but we want to raise as much awareness as we can about sepsis to prevent others from going through the same thing.”

Since Ruby’s death, Emma has raised more than £18,000 for Sepsis UK and, in May, she will be attempting the Three Peaks Challenge.

Emma said that the support from the community around her has been incredible, especially from Ruby’s primary school, William Martin.

An inquest into Ruby’s death will open on May 15.

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Sharon McNally, chief nurse and deputy chief executive at the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT), said: “We offer our deepest condolences on the sad loss of Ruby and our thoughts continue to be with her family.

“We are unable to comment on individual cases, however, we have fully investigated the circumstances surrounding Ruby’s care and treatment at our hospital and with our partner organisations.

“We are committed to ensuring that learning from any incident is part of our focus on continuous improvement.”

To find out more about the family's fundraiser, visit: www.gofundme.com/f/disney-trip-in-memory-of-ruby.