The heartbroken parents of Milla Foster, who died from what seemed like a common illness, have issued a plea to the public.
They are urging others not to ignore their instincts following the 12-year-old’s death, just days after being diagnosed with gastroenteritis.
The young girl from Kapunda in South Australia’s Barossa Valley loved Taylor Swift, had a laugh that would brighten any room and had everything to live for her parents say.
“She was a really good girl,” her dad Shannon Foster told 9News.
“I’m waiting to wake up and just see her.”
The tragic events unfolded when Milla had an upset stomach and other relatively mild symptoms.
Shannon took Milla to the Kapunda Hospital last Tuesday with her step-mum Phoebe, where doctors gave her medication to treat gastroenteritis.
“They kept us there for an hour, an-hour-and-a-half, and they sent us home,” he said.
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Milla’s parents say they’d thought her condition was improving but two days later, on October 19, Milla died.
“You don’t think that gastro can potentially kill – especially someone so young and so healthy,” step-mum Phoebe Kelly said.
The communities of Kapunda and Freeling – both about an hour north of Adelaide – have wrapped their arms around the family, with more than $20,000 raised to help the family plan a celebration of Milla’s life.
Meanwhile, Milla’s parents are now urging others not to ignore their instincts.
“Even if the doctors say you might be paranoid or if you’re just over-cautious – just listen to it, because it’s there for a reason,” Phoebe said.
SA Health Minister, Chris Picton, has voiced his heartfelt sympathies to the family and is promising Kapunda Hospital and SA Health will fully co-operate with a coronial investigation.
