Ruby Trussler, six, had her appendix removed in March 2024 in what seemed like a smooth and successful operation
The parents of a six-year-old girl who died from sepsis after an appendix operation will make a heartfelt trip to Disneyland on what would have been her birthday, as thousands were raised by a close friend to honour her memory. Ruby Trussler underwent what appeared to be a successful appendix removal in March 2024, but the aftermath turned into every parent’s nightmare.
Ruby first complained to her mother, Emma Trussler, 45, about a stomach ache and vomiting in early October 2024. It was initially thought she had a stomach bug that had been circulating at school.
However, when Ruby’s condition rapidly deteriorated, she was urgently taken to A&E at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow on October 7.
Ruby, from Harlow, faced alarming symptoms; she was extremely dehydrated with green vomit, leading doctors to discover she had an abdominal adhesion – bowel obstruction due to scar tissue from her previous surgery. Transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge for emergency surgery, Ruby sadly never woke up following the procedure.
Subsequent surgeries, including the heartbreaking amputation of her leg due to a blocked artery, led Emma and her husband to make the devastating choice to turn off Ruby’s life support machine. “We thought we couldn’t let her go on like this,” said Emma.
“It was the hardest thing we’ve ever done. She was the perfect daughter.”
The six year old was a bundle of joy, always ready with a song and a dance. She was a well-liked pupil at William Martin Primary School in Harlow, and despite being in year two, she had mates across different years.
“She was always smiling,” said Emma, a child carer.
In March 2024, at the age of six, Ruby faced appendicitis and underwent an operation to remove her appendix at Princess Alexandra Hospital. The surgery was successful, and Ruby bounced back to her usual self.
But come early October, just five months later, she complained of stomach pains to her mum.
Initially thought to be a stomach bug rampant at her school, Ruby’s condition deteriorated over the weekend, leaving her unusually lethargic and sleeping for extended periods.
On October 7, a trip to A&E at Princess Alexandra revealed a worrying complication: an abdominal adhesion, a band of scar tissue that can bind organs or tissues together, likely a consequence of her earlier appendectomy – a risk the NHS acknowledges.
Ruby was set to be transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, but a delay ensued, which Emma fears may have impacted what happened next.
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.”
In a tragic turn at Addenbrooke’s, although surgeons cleared Ruby’s intestinal obstruction, the young girl remained unresponsive. The next day, the devastating news that she had developed sepsis came to light and complications led to a blocked artery in her left leg, resulting in amputation.
Challenges escalated as concerns grew for her right leg and hands. After the amputation, Ruby stayed unconscious.
On October 10, hoping to improve her situation, surgeons operated to alleviate pressure and drain fluid from her abdomen.
Despite their efforts, Ruby’s health declined rapidly, marked by fluctuating blood pressure, unstable temperature and heart rate, and breathing difficulties. By October 11, faced with her worsening state, Emma and her husband made the heart-wrenching choice to stop life support; organ failure due to sepsis was identified as the cause of Ruby’s passing.
“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’s memory lives on through her three older half-sisters and four-year-old twin brothers, who, according to Emma, are coping well: “Her brothers have coped really well. We talk about her every day and they draw pictures of her all the time.”
In memory of Ruby, a GoFundMe page has been established by a friend to gather funds for an intended family trip to Disneyland Paris, a promise Emma made to Ruby during her hospital stay.
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 the tragic loss of Ruby, Emma has raised more than £18,000 for Sepsis UK and is gearing up to tackle the Three Peaks Challenge in May. She has found the community’s support overwhelming, particularly from Ruby’s primary school, William Martin.
An inquest into the circumstances of Ruby’s death is set to commence on May 15.
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.”
For more details on the fundraising efforts, visit www.gofundme.com/f/disney-trip-in-memory-of-ruby.