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Ashford mum rushes home after finding out five-month-old daughter was unresponsive over FaceTime

The mum of a ‘clever and beautiful’ baby girl who died aged five months has told of her heartache as she rushed to get home after hearing her daughter was unresponsive over FaceTime.

Ember Ellis from Ashford, who had always been healthy, died on Monday after she was put down for a nap and didn't wake up.

Ember was a happy and curious baby
Ember was a happy and curious baby

Her mother Louiza Arnold, 28, was at a client's house for a cleaning job when she was on FaceTime to her partner Ben Ellis, 23.

Mr Ellis had just gone upstairs at their home in Bridgefield to check on Ember, when Miss Arnold was faced with what she described as 'the worst scream she'd ever heard'.

"I just knew," she said.

"I ran out of the house and called 999."

Miss Arnold used an electric scooter she had bought to transport all her products to try to get back to her home as quickly as possible.

Mum Louiza Arnold with daughter Ember
Mum Louiza Arnold with daughter Ember

"I jumped on the scooter at 30mph while holding my stupid phone as I was on hold to get through to the ambulance service," she said.

"I chased down a car and flew off the scooter.

"My phone smashed but was working enough to speak to the crew. I got myself up and ran into someone’s car and I asked them to take me home. It was a blur."

As Ms Ellis fell off her electric scooter, she broke her hand and wrist and had to have a splint put in but, at the time, she didn't feel pain as she just wanted to get back to her little girl.

When she arrived home, Miss Arnold, Mr Ellis, and a street sweeper who rushed to their aid, all gave Ember CPR before she was rushed in the back of an ambulance to the William Harvey Hospital.

Ember with her dad and big sister at the park the weekend before the tragedy
Ember with her dad and big sister at the park the weekend before the tragedy

Staff did all they could to save Ember but she tragically died in hospital.

"I went to Ember and as they stopped, I was holding her so tightly," Miss Arnold said.

"It felt like a joke. Like she’d open her eyes to tell me not really. She didn’t. She was gone.

"I don’t know what to do with myself any more.

"Her blanket is all I keep holding. But it should still be her."

Ember passed way on Monday
Ember passed way on Monday

Ember had three big brothers Mikey, 10, Danny, eight, and Rorey, four, and a big sister called Amy, 18 months, and was very advanced for her age.

"She was five months old and could crawl, roll, sit up, had been for months," said Miss Arnold.

"I have so many amazing videos and photos too, literally the days before.

"There were no signs of poorliness, no worries, no crying, nothing.

"She had thick black wavy hair from the day she was born which just kept growing, it was nearly as long as her sisters.

Ember was "very curious and had the bluest eyes"
Ember was "very curious and had the bluest eyes"

"You see tragic stories online but you never think it will happen to you.

"Everyone who met her said she was going to be a genius. She was just so different and she looked like an old soul.

"She wanted to play all the time and she was getting to the age where she was very curious and had the bluest eyes."

Ember was just five months old
Ember was just five months old

To support the family though the darkest time, a friend set up a JustGiving page to raise funds to give Ember the send-off she deserves.

Any money left over will go toward decorating Ember and Amy's bedroom the way Mr Ellis and Miss Arnold had planned.

Donations can be made to the just giving page here.

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