Toddler dies af ter getting tangled up in handbag strap
A TODDLER has died after becoming tangled in the straps of a handbag that was hanging from a door handle in her home.
Medics spent more than half an hour bringing 14-monthold Mia Macphee back to life after the tragic accident.
But just days later devastated parents Hannah and Connor, from Alness, Ross-shire, faced the heartbreaking decision to switch off their only daughter’s life support.
The couple lay beside her as they said their final goodbyes on May 28 at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh. Mrs Macphee said: ‘We had the best part of four days with her there and we are so thankful for that.
‘Connor and I lay in her bed. I had my hand on her chest and could feel her slipping away. Her heart stopped beating at 2.35pm. We fell asleep with her between us.
‘That was the last proper time we had with our little girl.’
The day of the accident, the couple had been in an adjoining room for just a few moments when Mia, who was ‘into everything’, became tangled in the straps of a bag that was hanging from the door handle.
When their ‘bubbly’ little girl fell silent Mr Macphee went to investigate. Mrs Macphee said: ‘As he untangled her he screamed for me. I grabbed her and took her to the kitchen where I started doing CPR. Connor rang 999.’
Emergency services arrived and Mia was taken to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness and a specialist team was flown up from Glasgow to take over her care.
Mrs Macphee, who is 28 weeks pregnant with their third son, said: ‘She was without oxygen for a very long time. It took 30 to 45 minutes for her heart to start beating again.’ Mia was placed on a ventilator and transferred to Edinburgh, but her parents were warned she might not survive the journey.
‘It was horrific,’ said Mrs Macphee. ‘Our daughter’s life was hanging in the balance, our home was effectively a crime scene because something so terrible had happened. But we had a small chink of hope that she was coming off certain medications. Sadly it wasn’t to be.’
The couple, who have sons Alex, 13, and Jacob, eight, hope sharing their story will highlight the dangers everyday objects can pose to children.
Mrs Macphee said: ‘Mia was always a happy child, always smiling and laughing. She had an amazing personality. We were so lucky to have had her in our lives.’
She added: ‘We didn’t give a handbag hanging on a door a second thought. But everyday things like that need to be thought about.
‘You never think it will happen to you. We’re sharing this so it never has to happen to anyone else again.’
Paying tribute to their daughter, Mrs Macphee said: ‘Mia was bubbly, sassy and every inch a daddy’s girl. We could never have foreseen losing our little girl. We thought we had years.’
A celebration of Mia’s life will be held on Thursday at Inverness Crematorium.
‘I could feel her slipping away’