A six-year-old girl died in her stepfather’s arms two days after being released from hospital with tonsillitis, the child’s mother has revealed.
Magdalena Wisniewska, 26, says she insisted her daughter Maya Siek was seriously unwell after collapsing twice – including once in hospital – but she was discharged anyway.
And the tragic youngster said heartbreakingly to her mother, “Mommy, I think I’m dying,” just 24 hours before her death.
The “kind and helpful” primary school kid died in the arms of her stepfather Raj Blande shortly before Christmas last year.
Her heart stopped beating after she suffered acute myocardial necrosis — death of the organ’s cells — and pathologists haven’t been able to determine why.
A pediatric consultant in charge of child protection told Maya’s family it was likely caused by sepsis.
Now her mother is calling for someone to take responsibility for her daughter’s death.
She said she has barely left the house since she lost her daughter on December 21, 2023, who also left behind her six-year-old brother Nathan.
Magdalena Wisniewska, 26, insisted her daughter Maya Siek, 6, was seriously unwell after collapsing twice – including once in hospital
The family was looking forward to Christmas at home when Maya fell ill on December 18. The family has decided to leave the Christmas tree that Maya decorated in her last days in their living room
The family has decided to leave the Christmas tree that Maya decorated in her last days in their living room.
Ms Wisniewska, from Margate, Kent, said: ‘We were just a happy family with plans and ambitions for our children’s futures, but we are not the same family anymore.
“We have completely lost the will to live, but we are here because we have to take care of another child, but our lives are ruined and will never be the same again.”
The family was looking forward to Christmas at home when Maya fell ill on December 18 – she was tired, weak and cold to the touch, with no appetite.
The next day, Mrs. Wisniewska booked an appointment with a GP, but as they prepared to leave their house, Maya collapsed.
She was taken to Queen Elizabeth Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital in Margate where she was diagnosed with tonsillitis.
Doctors told her she could go home on antibiotics, but she collapsed again before being discharged.
Ms Wisniewska said: ‘I asked the doctor about Maya’s stomach ache, white tongue, pale complexion and her body being icy to the touch, but he said this was normal with tonsillitis.
Her heart stopped beating after she suffered from acute myocardial necrosis — death of the organ’s cells — and pathologists haven’t been able to determine why
Ms Wisniewska is calling for someone to take responsibility for her daughter’s death. She said she had barely left the house since her daughter died
“Maya also vomited in the hospital bed, so they gave her an anti-nausea shot and we went home.”
The pupil at Holy Trinity and St John’s Primary had a sleepless night during which she was given two doses of antibiotics and continued to complain of abdominal pain, thirst and dizziness.
Towards morning, her mother called 999, frightened because Maya was too weak to stand unassisted. She was taken back to QEQM by ambulance.
After a negative Covid test, she was diagnosed with the flu and put on an IV, still pale and cold.
At 3 pm she was admitted to a children’s ward with severe abdominal pain, because she had not been able to urinate for two days.
Clinical staff reportedly reassured the family that Maya’s symptoms were not cause for major concern, adding that she should be fine to go home the next day.
Ms Wisniewska said she repeatedly tried to point out that her daughter was behaving strangely, even reporting that she could see monkeys that weren’t there.
That night, Maya couldn’t sleep again and her mother tried to comfort her as she begged for water that was rationed on a doctor’s prescription.
The primary school child died in the arms of her stepfather Raj Blande two days after being released from hospital
The mother said she repeatedly tried to point out that her daughter was behaving strangely and even reported seeing monkeys that weren’t there
On 21 December, after another sleepless night, Ms Wisniewska again expressed her concerns to staff, reportedly alerting them to her daughter’s shaky breathing, discolored skin and disorientation.
The mother claimed clinicians told her that Maya just needed to rest well.
The staff allegedly took off her daughter’s heart monitor because they feared the beeping would disrupt her sleep.
At 3 p.m., when staff tried to take a blood sample while Maya was being helped by her stepfather, her heart stopped beating.
Her mother said, “After a few seconds, Maya fell silent and my partner discovered that she had stopped breathing.
“At that point, no one else reacted as if something had happened, but (my partner) asked for help.
Then all the other staff gathered in our room. They found out that Maya’s heart stopped beating.
“They started CPR to save her and her heart came back for a few seconds, but then it stopped beating again. This time Maya passed away.
“The day before she died she was very pale and she said to me, ‘Mommy, I think I’m going to die,’ and I said, don’t tell Maya that.
A shelf with pictures and flowers is displayed at the family home to commemorate Maya. Her mother said that her daughter will be in their hearts forever
“We asked them for help because she said strange things, like she saw a monkey moving on the wall.
“We tried to tell the doctor and nurse, but no one listened to us. And then her heart stopped beating.’
Her partner, Mr. Blande, said he will never forget those moments.
He said, ‘Maya breathed her last into my hands. I just can’t get over it – I don’t think I ever will.
“There were tons of people treating her, but none of them could figure out what it was until it was too late.
“Nothing can bring us back our daughter and I know our lives will never be the same again.
“As her stepfather, I just feel guilty because I wish I could have done something else because when I look back, the red flags were there.”
Her mother added that Maya will be in their hearts forever.
She said, ‘Maya was getting ready for Christmas, that’s why I still have the tree.
“It will always be with me because Maya made it.
‘For us Maya, she will always be in our hearts. We do everything we can to keep her memory alive.
‘We have a bench for her in Dane Park in Margate, near our house, under her favorite tree.
“We walk there every day. It helps bring back all the memories of her.’
The family met with CEO of the East Kent Hospitals Trust, Tracey Fletcher, on Dec. 28.
They were told that an investigation would be launched into Maya’s death.
In March, an independent pediatrician said it was likely flu progressed to sepsis, producing deadly toxins that affected Maya’s heart.
An inquest into the young girl’s death was opened last month but was postponed to September 25 to complete an assessment.
Jane Dickson, the head nurse at East Kent Hospitals, said: ‘I am so sorry for Maya’s family for their loss.
“We are conducting a thorough investigation into Maya’s concern to help us provide answers to Maya’s family and to make sure we know where to do things differently and to make sure lessons are learned.”
She added, “We will continue to work with Maya’s family and update them as part of the investigation.”