A rugby player who was tipped for a future England career died from a ruptured spleen after doctors sent her home, an inquest has heard.
Lilly Day, of Orford, was diagnosed with an infection before she was sent home.
Cheshire Coroner’s Court heard the teenager played for Cheshire and was being monitored by both England and Ireland’s national rugby teams.
Lilly’s mum, Dawn Boadey, said her daughter was also progressing well at college.
She told the inquest: ‘Lilly loved life. She had a great many friends. She was happy to go out. She worked hard and played hard’.
‘I don’t know a person that didn’t like Lilly.’
The 17-year-old started to feel unwell at the beginning of January, the court heard.
Shortly after, she visited a GP in Fearnead twice, as reported by The Warrington Guardian. On February 14, doctors diagnosed her with a viral infection affecting the upper respiratory tract.
Lilly Day, 17, died shortly after falling ill, which doctors said was an infection, in February this year
Lilly continued to feel unwell, with a cough, sore throat and nasal congestion and was taken to A&E the next day by her sister.
She also had puffy eyes and swelling in her neck, the inquest heard.
She was told to refer for allergy testing after it was suspected that her illness may have been exacerbated by a change in environment.
Lilly continued to feel unwell, experiencing symptoms of nausea and diarrhoea, before she collapsed in her bathroom on February 18.
An ambulance was called and Lilly briefly lost consciousness before regaining it.
She told the paramedics she had symptoms including lethargy, tiredness and pins and needles. She remained conscious on the way to hospital.
Lilly was taken straight to the high care unit at Warrington Hospital, where her bloods were taken before she lost consciousness again.
She experienced cardiac arrest and resuscitation efforts continued for over an hour. Eventually, her mother decided to cease efforts, according to the inquest.
Lilly was subsequently pronounced dead at 11.45am on February 18.
A post-mortem examination found that Lilly died from a ruptured spleen which had been caused by glandular fever.
A ruptured spleen is a ‘rare complication’ of the virus, which itself is rarely tested for, the court heard.
The inquest concluded that even if the glandular fever been diagnosed sooner, there is no specific treatment which would require hospital treatment.
Cheshire’s Senior Coroner, Jacqueline Devonish, determined that her spleen didn’t rupture until the morning of February 18, and there were no physical symptoms that would have warned the doctors.
Lilly’s cause of death was identified as hypovolemic shock resulting from bleeding in the abdomen, severe spleen enlargement leading to rupture, and infectious mononucleosis induced by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).
Lilly Day played for Cheshire and was being monitored by both England and Ireland’s national rugby teams
The inquest concluded that the teenager therefore died from a rare complication from glandular fever.
Tributes were paid to the ‘talented’ teenager following her death.
A fundraising page was set up by Warrington Girls Rugby Club to help Lilly’s family cope with funeral costs.
They wrote: ‘It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share the devastating news of the sudden passing of our beloved teammate, Lilly Day.
‘Lilly was a shining presence in our Under 18 Girls team and had been with the club for five years. She excelled as a rugby player and was also beloved as a friend, teammate, daughter, sister, and aunt.
‘Words cannot convey our profound sadness. Our hearts break for Lilly’s family, and we express our heartfelt condolences during this extremely challenging time. We also extend our love and support to her many friends and teammates coping with this loss.
‘Lilly’s presence will be deeply missed by everyone who had the privilege of knowing her.
‘The Warrington Girls family is a close-knit community, and we will support each other through this grief.
‘As a club we want to offer whatever help we can to Lillys family so we have started a collection to support the family at this difficult time.
‘In the meantime, we encourage everyone to remember Lilly for the incredible person she was and to cherish the memories you shared with her. If you are struggling with this news, please do not hesitate to reach out for support.
‘We are here for each other. Rest in peace, Lilly, you were and will always be a Warrington CRLFC Girl, you will remain forever in our hearts.’
